Committee hears S.298 to enshrine voting‑rights protections, add penalties for intimidation

Montpelier — Lawmakers and election officials on April 1 reviewed S.298, a bill that would codify voting‑rights protections in Vermont law, create criminal penalties for voter and election‑worker intimidation and misinformation, and allow the attorney general to pursue civil remedies, including fines and injunctive relief.

Sen. Hinsdale, the bill’s sponsor and the Senate majority leader, told the House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs that the measure was written to “protect and enshrine voting rights for all Vermonters,” and to give state officials tools if federal protections are weakened. “We set out to protect and enshrine voting rights for all Vermonters,” he said, describing the bill as a narrowed, deliberate response to threats he said could arise from pending federal litigation.

The bill would add a new chapter to Title 17 establishing prohibitions on vote denial and vote dilution and create four new statutory sections. Legislative counsel Tim Dublin summarized the bill’s three main parts: a civil enforcement mechanism and remedies empowering the attorney general; criminal offenses for election interference and intimidation; and an explicit campaign‑finance clarification…