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Our call — vote NO
The measure
Proposal 4 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on Vermont's November 3, 2026 ballot. It would add an Article 23 to the Vermont Constitution guaranteeing equal protection: the state may not deny equal treatment under the law on account of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin. It then adds a third sentence: "Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted or applied to prevent the adoption or implementation of measures intended to provide equality of treatment and opportunity for members of groups that have historically been subject to discrimination." Opponent Rep. Michael Boutin (R) zeroed in on that sentence, arguing the constitution should not "create different standards of equality for different groups."
What YES does
A yes vote adopts the equal-treatment guarantee — and, in the same text, expressly preserves government power to run preferential programs for historically discriminated groups.
What NO does
A no vote leaves Vermont's existing constitutional equality provisions and civil-rights statutes as they are.
The math
No fiscal note for this measure was published on its Ballotpedia page.
OUR CALL
Our call: NO.
Read the whole text, not just the first sentence. We would sign the equal-treatment guarantee on its own; equal protection that means the same rule for everyone is the American promise. But the third sentence is a carve-out that swallows the principle: it blesses state programs that sort Vermonters by race, sex, and identity in the name of correcting history — preferential treatment, written into the constitution as an exception to equality itself. As the amendment's own legislative critics put it, equal protection should mean equal protection for every Vermonter. A guarantee with a built-in exception for government favoritism is not a guarantee. Vote no.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — Vermont Proposal 4, Equal Protection of Law Amendment (2026) — https://ballotpedia.org/Vermont_Proposal_4,_Equal_Protection_of_Law_Amendment_(2026) (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.