Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 8 D · 6 R cosponsors

H 117 — An act relating to general election candidates

Last action — Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced January 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 14 sponsors

    14 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (8 D · 6 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

This bill prohibits candidates who lose a primary from running in the general election as independents.

The bill states that candidates who lose a major party primary cannot appear on the general election ballot for the same office as independents or representing another party. It amends existing election laws accordingly.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill prohibits candidates who lose a major party primary from appearing on the general election ballot for the same office as independents or representing another party.

  • 17 V.S.A. § 2401

    A candidate who loses a major party primary for any office shall not appear on the general election ballot as an independent candidate for the same office for which the candidate lost in the primary election. → A candidate who loses a major party primary for any office shall not appear on the general election ballot as an independent candidate or representing any other party for the same office for which the candidate lost in the primary election.

    This change clarifies that losing candidates cannot run as independents or under a different party label in the general election.

  • 17 V.S.A. § 2381

    In no event shall a candidate who loses a major party primary be nominated to appear on the general election ballot pursuant to this subchapter by a committee of any party other than the party for which the candidate appeared on the primary ballot. → In no event shall a candidate who loses a major party primary be nominated to appear on the general election ballot as an independent candidate or representing any other party for the same office for which the candidate lost in the primary election.

    This change reinforces the prohibition against nominating losing candidates for the general election from any party or as independents.

Action History

  1. Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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14 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 176 not signed on

Sponsors (14)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (176)

176 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 176 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors H 117?
H 117 is sponsored by Michael Mrowicki (Democrat), Michael R Morgan (Republican), Mary E. E Howard (Democrat), Jim F Harrison (Republican), William "Will" Greer (Democrat), Abbey Duke (Democrat), Wendy A Critchlow (Democrat), William P Canfield (Republican), Gregory "Greg" Burtt (Republican), Chris Brown (Republican), Carolyn W Branagan (Republican), Doug Bishop (Democrat), Sarah "Sarita" C Austin (Democrat), and Robert J Hooper (Democrat).
What is the current status of H 117?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced January 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 117?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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