 Good morning everyone I want to thank you all for being here today for this historic occasion as We formally certify the results of the ballot questions and enroll proposition 2 and proposition 5 into Vermont's Constitution We know we can't always look to Washington for solutions Which is why our state Constitution has always been critically important to us It was first drafted in July of 1777 When Vermonters declared we were an independent state They also made sure it wasn't easy to amend this process has Resulted in Vermont's Constitution being one of the oldest and probably the shortest of any state Our founders had the foresight to protect our Constitution from impulse Impat citizenship and that's something Vermonters have felt strongly about ever since I Believe this is how it should be and it makes moments like today even more meaningful We're here to make sure Vermont values are included in our founding document And what what matters most to those of us who call this brave little state home Today Vermont Constitution takes on new meaning as a source of inspiration and law To clearly show the world We believe that everyone has the right to personal autonomy To articulate the words that we truly believe in Freedom and unity In 1777 Vermont's constitutions that bravely into new territory Ensuring that all men are born equally free and independent with certain inherent rights Clearly prohibiting slavery of adult men and women This provision which we amend today was updated in 1924 Proposition to once again modernizes and clarifies this section Aligning it more with the times we live in And I believe this new language Represents the American spirit as well as Vermont's We've made progress But we've got more work to do to build a more inclusive diverse and accepting state It's up to all of us to live up to these shared ideals Proposition 5 also sends a historic message To ensure reproductive health decisions remain where they belong Between a patient and a health care provider totally free from government intervention I Want to express my gratitude to those who worked on this over the past few years Including speaker Kowinsky and pro tem ballot for shepherding this through the legislative process when this conversation began The right to reproductive freedom was considered settled law under the US Constitution This of course Changed over the summer When the US Supreme Court reverse itself and left this Congress and state legislatures to deal with Fortunately You and your colleagues had the foresight to prepare for the action we take today And I thank for monitors in particular for showing up to make your voices heard While Congress remains gridlocked With many states taking actions to limit reproductive rights We voted overwhelmingly in every corner of the state to enshrine these rights for all for months Mending the state Constitution gave her monitors the opportunity to take action on their fundamental rights Which is pretty meaningful When you think about it and with these two measures You made your voices heard So again want to thank you for participating in our democracy and making these historic Changes and I'll now turn it over to speaker Thank you all for joining us here today to share in this historical moments in our moment in our state's history This past November for monitors overwhelmingly voted to update our state Constitution to reflect our values and to protect our rights with two constitutional amendments This was not a short or simple process. It was long. It was rigorous and it was inclusive It was Ruth Gader Ginsburg that said real change and during change happens one step at a time Our country has been through some extremely turbulent times and for my generation To watch long held rights get rolled back has been a wake-up call Seeing how fragile our democracy is Has been a wake-up call Even with all the work we have done to make Vermont a better place Seeing how much racial and social inequality that still exists is jarring. I Believe and I have seen that a majority of us in Vermont have had this wake-up call a wake-up call to get involved To vote and to protect our rights in Vermont we believe health care decisions should be made by an individual and their health care provider Back in 2019. We passed age 57 also known as the Freedom of Choice Act It was an important bill to protect reproductive rights But we knew that amending the state Constitution was the best way we could permanently preserve these rights in November for monitors voted to ratify and amend our Constitution with proposal 5 Which guarantees reproductive liberty for all Vermonters and solidifies our commitment to this fundamental right for years to come The timing is critical Across the country. We are seeing attacks on reproductive liberty in the erosion of reproductive health care services. I Never had a doubt but still it's still I am so Inspired to see that Vermonters resoundedly reflected the importance of this right and the impact it will have in supporting their families Their friends and their community with their vote this past election I hope other states will follow our path and enact laws to protect personal reproductive liberty and allow individuals to make their own health care decisions At the same time we leave no doubt that the content that Vermonters Support writing the wrongs of the past by amending the Vermont Constitution to remove antiquated language Used about our about slavery in our state Constitution the legacy of slavery in our country has resulted in centuries of Systematic racism and removing this language from the Constitution is one step in the right direction As representative Colton said on the house floor Language is powerful and the truth shall set us free. I Am so proud of the work we have done to protect and expand civil rights And I look forward to continuing the work to foster more equitable communities throughout the state No, Vermonter or anyone visiting our state should have any doubt where we stand when it comes to supporting people from all walks of life I remain committed to leading the legislature and passing legislation that protects historically marginalized Populations and gives equal opportunity to all the wonderful services our state has to offer There have been so many people so many people involved to get these amendments passed But I want to make sure to recognize representatives and Pew Coach Christy, Hal Colston, Maxine grad and Sarah Copeland-Hanses for all their hard work to make these Constitutional amendments a reality Additionally, I want to thank our House Majority Leader Emily Long and former speaker of the House, Mitzi Johnson for their commitment And leadership in getting these proposals through the legislative process The Vermont Constitution is our founding legal document. It articulates the values we share as a society And I can think of no better way to show our commitment to personal reproductive liberty and removing antiquated slavery language than the ratification of these constitutional amendments Proposal five and proposal two do more than changing words in a document They protect and preserve Our civil liberties as Vermonters and show the rest of the country that we can work together to create a better tomorrow Thank you. Now have the honor of welcoming to the podium senator back the ballot Good morning. It is wonderful to see all of you here today on this historic day I stand before you as the president pro tem and as a long-time senator But I also stand before you as a long-time history and social studies teacher So before I ran for office, I studied and taught History the stories of people Who made a difference in this country the stories of the people who fought to amend the US Constitution? There are some of the most powerful Compelling stories that I was able to share with my students over the years And I couldn't be more proud to stand before all of you with my colleagues and some of my former colleagues and Advocates who have worked so hard on these two important amendments It takes many hands To make something like this a reality it took many years for us to get to this place and I want to make sure that I acknowledge Folks on the Senate side as well who I don't see in the chamber right now I do see Senator Keisha Rom-Hinsale is here. Thank you so much Ginny Lyons who I don't believe is here Hold your applause. We've got a few more Ginny Lyons and Cummings who has always been a champion on reproductive care and Tim Ash who's not here with us today who was Instrumental when I was majority leader working closely with me and with Senator Lyons to make sure That it passed through the Senate. So if we could acknowledge those senators and Give them their due. I also want to acknowledge Mark Hughes who's here and former senator Debbie Ingram who also worked tirelessly on This incredibly important amendment to finally Abolish slavery from our Constitution. Thank you so much So a lot has been said already about how difficult it is to amend a constitution and all of the work it took to get here and What I really want to talk to you about is that We can continue to be a beacon of light in this country in Vermont. I Am so proud to be able to talk to my incoming class in 118th Congress about the work that we did in Vermont on these two issues and Give them the courage to take up these issues in their home states To be able to stand before you as a Democrat standing with a Republican governor To be standing with my colleague from the other chamber and knowing that we worked so Hard together to make sure we got to this place That's what we need more of in this country. You know it. I know it and to be able to say that both past so resoundingly in Vermont speaks to who we are as a state and how we believe in liberty and freedom and unity So I'm going to pass it over To someone who I know we will all miss in the role of Secretary of State who's done an incredible job Protecting our voting rights for years here in Vermont and expanding those rights to include as many Legal voters as we can here in Vermont Please welcome to the podium Secretary of State Jim condos Thank you and good morning As Vermont's 38th Secretary of State and I serve as the Vermont chief election officer Today is a very special and historic and significant day The Vermont Constitution is the governing document that our brave little state follows Amendments to the Constitution are rare and important occurrences This year Vermont overwhelmingly made clear That our Constitution should reflect our values as a state Those and values include That slavery of all forms is prohibited and that the government has no place Restricting any individual's right to make their own reproductive health decisions The last time the Constitution was amended was over a decade ago in 2010 At that time Vermont decided that 17 year olds who will be 18 by the general election Should be a should have the right to vote in primaries So that they have a say on who will be on the general election ballot in November when they are a legal voter Today we are meeting to complete the procedural requirements in the law to amend our state's Founding document, but also to celebrate the civic nature of Vermont and the people of our Green Mountains It is also an opportunity to reflect our inequities that exist in our society today and that we can come together Democratically to make our state a beacon for equity and justice for all not just for a few I Want to thank the legislature for their hard work taken to put these important amendments before the people of Vermont And I want to thank the governor for his support of this important historic moment Lastly, I want to thank each and every Vermont voter for engaging in our voting process on these amendments Proving that our democracy and our civility is alive and well in our Green Mountain state It's been an honor to preside over this historic day. I thank you for that Now as per state law the governor and I will go down to the table in front And we will I will present the governor with the official results as Ratified by the people of Vermont on prop 2 and prop 5 So that the governor may officially enroll these amendments to our Constitution These are the official Shows for prop to the slavery prohibition the yes votes were 238,466 the no votes were 335 and There were 420 overvotes 22,734 blank votes and the total votes counted overall was 291,955 for proposition 5 The reproductive liberty amendment Yes votes for two hundred and twelve thousand three hundred and twenty three No votes for sixty four thousand two hundred and thirty nine There were fifty three overvotes and fifteen thousand three hundred and forty blank votes for again the total of two hundred and ninety one thousand two hundred and fifty five We actually have these the official documents From the campus that occurred on November 15th one week after the election These were signed by me and the three a member of each of the three major parties the Republicans the Democrats and the Progressives and then we have an Excel spreadsheet that shows the vote totals in each town Across the state of Vermont And I'd like to just one thing when we talked about a resounding vote These two amendments passed in every city and town in the state of Vermont