Vermonters: Political system is ‘badly broken’

In a recent survey of Vermonters by pollsters at Rasmussen Reports, voters were nearly evenly split on two nationally hot topics — the language that ballots are printed in, and whether marriage should be defined as being between a man and a woman.

But, in each of these questions, as well as one about the state of U.S. political system, Vermonters were further from the national average than any other state surveyed.

According to Rasmussen, a plurality of voters in each of 32 states agree that the political system in the U.S. is “badly broken.” Percentages range from a high of 63 percent in Vermont to 47 percent in Nebraska.

When asked to choose the language in which election ballots should be printed, 49 percent of Vermonters polled said English only and 47 percent were OK with bilingual ballots (English and Spanish).

On the issue of marriage, 44 percent believed the institution is the union of a man and a woman only, while 49 percent said marriage is the joining of any two people. That may not be surprising because Vermont already has in place a civil unions law, which allows for unions between gay and lesbian partners.

However, Rasmussen Reports said Vermont voters are far from the national average on these two issues. Nationally, two-thirds of Americans believe that marriage should be defined as a union between a man and a woman. A similar majority, 68 percent, believe that election ballots should be printed in English only.

Posted August 30, 2006

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