A high bailiff in the U.S. state of Vermont is an elected public official whose office is unique to local government in Vermont. [1] High bailiffs are elected in each of Vermont's fourteen counties. [1]
The duties of high bailiff are to serve writs which the sheriff is incapable of serving, such as the writ of arrest of the sheriff, and to temporarily succeed to the office of the sheriff in the event of the sheriff's incarceration or incapacity. [2] [3] The position is unpaid. [4] In practice, an officeholder "rarely, if ever, does anything"; in 2016, the high bailiff of Addison County noted that it was not unusual for a person to hold the office for more than two decades without having to perform any official function. [4] Addison County Sheriff Don Keeler said in 2012 that he believed he was the only Vermont high bailiff to have performed an official act in the preceding five decades (when he took over as acting sheriff in April 2012, after the sheriff died in office; Governor Peter Shumlin appointed Keeler sheriff a few months later). [4]
While historically the office has largely been held by members of the law enforcement community, in 2020 several candidates ran for high bailiff on a platform calling for civilian oversight of law enforcement. [5] Three of those candidates won: former State's Attorney Bobby Sand in Windsor County, college student Asa Skinder in Washington County, [6] and attorney and drug policy reform advocate Dave Silberman in Addison County. [7]
In 2024, no candidates filed to run for high bailiff of Orange County, and two write-in candidates campaigned for the post. [1] The winner of that race was Chris Helali, a social studies teacher. [8]
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the sýslumaður, which is commonly translated to English as sheriff.
Chittenden County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, its population was 168,323. The county seat is Vermont's most populous municipality, the city of Burlington. The county has over a quarter of Vermont's population and more than twice the population of Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland. The county also has more than twice the population density of Vermont's second-most dense county, Washington. The county is named for Vermont's first governor and one of the framers of its constitution as an independent republic and later U.S. state, Thomas Chittenden.
A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary.
David E. Zuckerman is an American politician who is currently serving as the 84th lieutenant governor of Vermont since 2023. He previously served two terms as the 82nd lieutenant governor of Vermont, from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Vermont Progressive Party, he previously served in the Vermont House of Representatives for seven terms (1997–2011), and the Vermont Senate for two (2013–2017). In 2020, Zuckerman was a candidate for governor of Vermont. He ran with the support of both the Progressive Party and the Democratic Party, but lost to incumbent governor Phil Scott in the general election.
Peter Francis Welch is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2023 as the junior United States senator from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Vermont's at-large congressional district from 2007 to 2023. He has been a major figure in Vermont politics for over four decades and is only the second Democrat to be elected a senator from the state.
Elections in Vermont are authorized under Chapter II of the Vermont State Constitution, articles 43–49, which establishes elections for the state level officers, cabinet, and legislature. Articles 50–53 establish the election of county-level officers.
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Thomas J. "T. J." Donovan Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as Vermont Attorney General from 2017 to 2022. He was first elected in 2016 with over 66 percent of the vote. He previously served for ten years as State's Attorney of Chittenden County, the most populous county in Vermont.
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Vermont on November 6, 2018. All of Vermont's executive officers were up for election as well as Vermont's Class I Senate seat and at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on August 14, 2018.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the U.S. Representative from Vermont's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
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Molly Rose Gray is an American attorney and politician who served as the 83rd lieutenant governor of Vermont from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an assistant attorney general for Vermont from 2018 to 2021.
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The 2022 Vermont Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next attorney general of Vermont. Former Democratic Attorney General T.J. Donovan resigned after three terms in office. Susanne Young, appointed by Governor Phil Scott to fill the vacancy left by Donovan, was not running for a full term, and Vermont Republicans nominated Mike Tagliavia to run against Charity Clark, the Democratic candidate.
The 2022 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the lieutenant governor of the state of Vermont. The election coincided with various other federal and state elections, including for Governor of Vermont. Primary elections were held on August 9. Vermont is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.
The 2022 Vermont Senate election took place on November 8, 2022, as part of the biennial United States elections. The election coincided with elections for other offices including the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, and State House. Vermont voters elected all 30 state senators from 16 districts, with each district electing between one and three senators. State senators serve two-year terms in the Vermont Senate. Primary elections were held on August 9, 2022. This election would be the first to use new districts adopted by the Vermont General Assembly to allocate for population changes across the state after the 2020 census.
The 2024 Vermont Senate election took place on November 5, 2024, as part of the biennial United States elections. The election coincided with elections for other offices including the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, and State House. State senators serve two-year terms in the Vermont Senate. Primary elections were held on August 13, 2024.