GMDSA’s Socialist Voter Guide for Town Meeting Day 2026
It is that time of year again, time for Vermont’s annual Town Meting Day tradition.
The last two years have seen schools and school budgets become the focus on local as well as state politics. As in every year, Green Mountain DSA (GMDSA) recommends voting yes on your local school budget.
GMDSA only chose to endorse one candidate for a local race this year, but there are elections in every town, city and village, some of which are more exciting than others. The rest of this voter guide will be a town-by-town breakdown of local races in areas where there is an active GMDSA presence, of both elections and ballot questions.
Burlington
Green Mountain DSA has only endorsed one candidate this TMD, being Marek Broderick, for re-election to the city council in Ward 8. Before first being elected in 2024, Marek was co-chair and an organizer with the UVM chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, DSA’s youth section. As a councilor, Marek has fought for tenants’ rights on and off campus, including notably organizing with UVM's Student Tenant Union to win unanimous support for a resolution holding UVM accountable for poor housing conditions. Marek was unanimously endorsed for re-election by the chapter because the fight is not over. If Marek wins on March 3, he will continue to fight for housing for all, tenant rights, and a city that everyone can call home.
However, Marek’s advocacy for renters, students and the broader working class has not made him any friends within Burlington’s establishment. This year, the Democrat Party chose to nominate only one candidate to run against an incumbent: the landlord Ryan Nick, scion of commercial real estate tycoon Jeff Nick, is running to unseat Marek.
Nick has been able to raise considerable cash through his connections to the city’s monied interests, mostly from other landlords and real estate moguls. This is fitting, as Nick has made a name for himself as a vocal opponent of essential harm reduction services like the Howard Center’s needle exchange, and an opponent of mutual aid groups like Food Not Cops. Ryan himself works for his father’s real estate company, JL Davis Realty, on “tenant relations,” according to his CCTV candidate forum. Between his status as one of Burlington’s landlords and his antagonism of community groups, Green Mountain DSA believes that Nick cannot be trusted to hold police accountable and exactly represents the elites’ status quo that is crushing us workers.
If you live in Ward 8, please vote to re-elect Marek Broderick!
Green Mountain DSA recommends voting for all other Progressive candidates, including in Ward 7, where Bill Standen is running to unseat Democrat Even Litwin. Green Mountain DSA also recommends voting yes on question three, which would enshrine the city’s Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Office in the city charter.
Lastly, the coalition that put Proposition 0 on the ballot in 2023 is at it again, aiming to get the direct democracy charter change on the ballot again in time for the November midterms. We recommend signing the petition to get Proposition 0 on the ballot.
Winooski
In Winooski, there are no contested races for city council or the mayor. Green Mountain DSA offers no recommendations for this election, other than a yes vote for both the city and school budgets, particularly article six which would allow the school to purchase a nearby home to the school with surplus funds. The property will be used by the school for specialized educational settings for students who need it. Currently, the school system does not have something like this and students who need a specialized education setting are required to travel out of district. We would also like to note that an added benefit of this purchase is removing a known Zionist's pro Israel propaganda from the property being purchased.
GMDSA also recommends Katie Livermore, who is running for re-election to the School Board. Many Winooski GMDSAers know her from her work on the Winooski AFC campaign which passed last year with over 70% approval. Katie played an integral role in that campaign and continues to organize in her community both in the school and outside.
South Burlington
Unlike Burlington, and like Winooski and the rest of Vermont municipalities, South Burlington elections are officially non-partisan. However, this does not stop them from being competitive. For the two-year seat this year, the two candidates running are Amy Allen and Beth Zigmund. Allen seems to be a typical pro-business, establishment candidate, while Zigmund is running with the support of progressive non-profits like Run on Climate (which also endorsed Marek Broderick). Green Mountain DSA offers no recommendation in this race, but leans toward favoring Zigmund.
Montpelier
Montpelier residents will again vote on the Apartheid-Free Communities (AFC) pledge, after it was voted down last year. The pledge, which passed last year in Winooski and various other towns across Vermont, condemns Israel’s system of Apartheid, settler colonialism and occupation, and commits the signer to fighting for liberation in Palestine. Green Mountain DSA endorses AFC, and urges Montpelier residents to vote yes.
Waterbury
On Waterburry’s ballot this year, there are three seats up for election: one three-year seat, and two one-year. For the three-year seat, Republican Chris Viens is the only candidate to have made it onto the ballot. Fortunately, former Selectboard member Don Schneider has announced a write-in campaign, and we recommend writing in his name. The chapter offers no recommendation for the one-year seat, but recommends voting yes on the Randall Meadow bond question .
Randolph
Randolph residents of the police district again face an increased police budget, this time to $893,357. Despite the district containing less than half the town’s total population of just 4,774 people, the police budget is approximately a sixth of the town’s budget. Green Mountain DSA recommends residents vote no on the police budget.
Randolph also has two selectboard elections this year. The three-year seat race is between Ashley Lincoln and Emery Mattheis, and the two-year seat is between Bethany Silloway and Dustin Adams. Mattheis and Adams are running with the newly-formed “Committee for a Cooler ‘Dolf,” organized by a GMDSA member. Adams is also a GMDSA member himself, although he did not seek the chapter’s endorsement. GMDSA recommends voting for Emery Mattheis and Dustin Adams.
St Albans
St. Albans has a relatively slim election this year. Three city seats are open – two city counselors and the Mayor – all of which are uncontested.
Article three continues a seven year project to upgrade and update the city's 1953 water system. The current ask is for St. Albans residents to permit the borrowing of $800,000 to refurbish the existing town water tank; this accounts for half the total cost (project total of $1.6M) with the remaining $800,000 covered by a no-interest 40 year loan. Completion of the project will ensure that St. Albans continues to provide safe, clean water to residents without service interruption caused by maintenance: GMDSA recommends voting yes on Article three.
Article two is a proposed budget for FY2027. Effort has been made to keep expenses low for residents with a modest property tax increase of 2.2% (estimated to be $50 more per resident throughout the year), and the budget includes capital improvements for the Welden Theater, new breathing apparatuses for fire responders, a lawn mower for city parks and properties, an increase in services provided by the Restorative Justice Center, and a new snow plow. The budget also includes a substantial increase for Police and Dispatch wages, as well as two new vehicles (one marked, one unmarked) for the St. Albans Police Department. Because the FY27 budget devotes nearly 50% of its total projected $15.5M expenditure to Dispatch and Police service, GMDSA recommends voting no on Article 2 unless the police budget is disentangled from other budgetary needs or the increase in police spending explicates integration of support/social service resources into law enforcement services.
Town Meeting Day is Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Please email us at hello@greenmountaindsa.org if you’d like to join a canvass between now and then, or if you’d like to see an item on your town’s ballot included in this guide.
You can check your voter registration here.
Candidate Endorsement Process for the Memphis-Midsouth Democratic Socialists of America
This document outlines the candidate endorsement protocol for the Memphis-Midsouth chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. This language was approved after a vote of the chapter membership was taken at the General Meeting held on the night of January 13, 2026.
What Our Endorsement Means For Your Campaign
For the Memphis-Midsouth Democratic Socialists of America (MMDSA), our power is not in capital, but in people. Our theory of change for the Memphis-Midsouth community is based on strategically organizing around a credible plan to win meaningful power for the working class and the cause of democratic socialism. Our endorsements are contingent on this theory of change, and our support will solely go to those candidates who center the cause of the working class in their struggle against capitalism. Building economic justice, ending the carceral state, advancing gender and racial equality, protecting the undocumented migrant community, supporting organized labor to the hilt – all of these policies, and more, are core objectives that MMDSA is pursuing, and our endorsed candidates must be committed to furthering these causes loudly and persistently in the halls of power.
Because we seek to foster with our candidates a deeper understanding and a co-governing relationship through our shared struggle against capitalism, our endorsement will always mean more than just a logomark on a social media account or campaign flyer. It will mean a complete chapter mobilization through canvassing, phone banking, communications, social media, and fundraising, engaging a broad section of our chapter’s members due to our core commitments to democratic organizing and grassroots volunteer work. The MMDSA will provide critical campaign support with shoe leather and top-level strategizing, and once the campaign is won, our work will continue. The MMDSA will not abandon our elected representatives to fend for themselves amongst hostile coalitions and corrupt bureaucrats – we will continue to provide critical support and staffing to elected representatives to ensure that the struggle continues in the halls of power as the work of the people, not just one person.
Endorsement Requirements
- Must be an MMDSA member in good standing for not less than six (6) months, actively attending at least one committee’s meetings and activities, and provide not less than three (3) written recommendations from fellow MMDSA members in good standing attesting to their leadership and reliability in the organizing activities of the chapter – one of which must be a Co-Steward of the committee they are active in.
- Extraordinary Qualification – If a candidate does not qualify on the grounds of membership or organizing activity within the chapter, they may apply only if they have a longstanding record as a leader in organizing work with our allies or in past work with MMDSA. In this instance, the candidate must obtain three (3) written recommendations from surrogates within MMDSA who are members in good standing – one of which must be a member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee must then vote with a 70% supermajority in favor of approving the candidate’s extraordinary qualified status before consideration of their Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire – and the start of their endorsement process – may begin.
- Must pledge not to accept campaign finance funds from certain PACs or lobbying groups designated by the MMDSA Executive Committee on advice from the Electoral and Policy Committee – small donor donations will be strongly preferred.
- Must commit to uphold and aggressively pursue MMDSA’s policies, interests, and priorities.
- Must use their campaign as an opportunity to promote MMDSA, including but not limited to expressly driving recruitment to MMDSA, developing leaders within MMDSA by providing campaign experience, and using MMDSA’s logo, color scheme, and messaging in campaign materials.
- Must commit to caucusing with fellow elected DSA endorsees and socialist-in-office committees, where applicable.
- Must identify as a socialist or as a democratic socialist in private and public statements and commit to uphold and defend all official policy positions endorsed and agreed to by MMDSA in its bylaws and governing documents, including the full freedoms and self determination of the Palestinian people including the end of Israel’s colonization and occupation of all Arab lands, equality, and the right of all refugees to return to their homes and properties.
- Must commit to a class struggle electoral campaign and tenure in office, placing their work as a socialist organizer first and as a legislator second.
Endorsement Process
- Candidates must fill out the MMDSA Candidate Questionnaire
- Within a recommended two (2) week period of submitting the MMDSA Candidate Questionnaire, the candidate will then attend an in-person Candidate Meeting with the Electoral Coordinator, the Co-Steward of the Electoral & Policy Committee, and at least one (1) Chapter Co-Chair.
- Within a recommended forty-eight (48) hour period after the Candidate Meeting concludes, the MMDSA officers who interviewed the candidate will give a report on the content and character of the Candidate Meeting to the Executive Committee, a summary analysis of the candidate’s responses to the MMDSA Candidate Questionnaire and an overall recommendation on whether or not MMDSA should endorse the candidate.
- Within a recommended seven (7) day period following this report, the Executive Committee must then vote on a recommendation for or against endorsing the candidate.
- Within a recommended twenty-four (24) hour period following this vote, the Electoral Coordinator will report to the chapter about the content and character of the Candidate Meeting, a summary analysis of the candidate’s responses to the MMDSA Candidate Questionnaire, and the Executive Committee’s recommendation for or against endorsing the candidate.
- If a candidate is recommended for endorsement by the Executive Committee, the candidate must attend either the next MMDSA General Meeting or attend an extraordinary chapter-wide meeting as outlined in the by-laws – whichever is more expedient – where they will address the audience as well as answer questions.
- If a candidate is not recommended for endorsement by the Executive Committee, the candidate may introduce a resolution at the next General Meeting for their endorsement to be considered by the membership at large. The candidate may attend the General Meeting at which the second and final reading of the resolution occurs and address the audience, as well as answer questions, as part of the deliberative process prior to the chapter’s vote on the resolution.
- Within a recommended seven (7) day period after such a General Meeting or extraordinary meeting, whether a candidate was recommended by the Executive Committee or sought their endorsement via direct resolution, MMDSA will conduct an electronic vote to decide on whether or not to endorse the candidate. Certifying an endorsement will require an affirmative vote from a 70% supermajority of MMDSA members in good standing.
- Candidates who attempt to circumvent the above steps by attempting to have an endorsement considered by the membership at large by introducing a resolution at a MMDSA General Meeting, on their own or through a surrogate, without completing the MMDSA Candidate Questionnaire or the Candidate Meeting, or by pre-empting the Executive Committee’s vote on whether or not to recommend endorsing the candidate, will result in the candidate being both disqualified from being endorsed by MMDSA and barred from applying for an endorsement for a period of not less than one thousand four hundred sixty-one (1461) days from the date of the resolution’s proposal. Members who act as a surrogate in an attempt to help a candidate circumvent this process will be subject to censure or possible expulsion from MMDSA.
Read more at Memphis-Midsouth
Monthly Round-Up – February 2026
This article is written by a DSA member and does not formally represent the views of MADSA as a whole or its subgroups.
Welcome to Vol. 7 of the monthly round-up! The content in this publication overlaps significantly with our DSA newsletter and monthly General Membership Meetings. To sign up for the newsletter or check out an upcoming General Membership Meeting, visit: https://madison-dsa.org/events/
ICE Out Hub / Strike Out ICE!
MADSA has launched a centralized resource for community defense and related organizing in Madison. Members in the February GMM debriefed about MADSA’s ICE-related efforts so far, and approved a proposal for Strike Out ICE!
MADSA’s goals are to support other groups already doing this work – especially Voces de la Frontera – while also developing networks of mutual aid, supporting MADSA members in becoming active organizers, and building towards a national general strike on May 1st. What is most exciting to this author is that the strike plan is a movement backed by real strategy and community ties, not just a random internet call to action. The chapter is working on political education, building community bonds, spreading the word among coworkers and friends, and coordinating with other organizations, including unions. The strike could be a historic step in taking back the people’s power across the nation and in turning the tides of politics in the United States, if people embrace the spirit of making real, concrete demands, and shutting down the economy to ensure they are met.
You can check out the hub here: https://madison-dsa.org/ice-out-hub/ The hub also contains weekly strike reports, and members will receive these reports in their email inboxes as a newsletter.
I encourage all members to take action today, whether that’s joining a neighborhood group chat, attending an educational meeting about strike history or organizing skills, being trained as a legal observer, or talking to people in your life about the strike. And remember – millions of people participating imperfectly will always outweigh a few dozen participating perfectly. Embrace uncertainty and imperfection as a normal part of your political process!
MADSA Endorses Heidi Wegleitner for Re-Election
Members voted in the February meeting to endorse Heidi’s re-election campaign for Dane County Board. Heidi has served as a delegate to the South Central Federation of Labor, is in a leadership role with the United Legal Workers union in Madison, and has a long history of fighting for housing rights. She will be running in District 2, which includes most of the Isthmus north of E. Washington Avenue, including neighborhoods around James Madison Park, Tenney Park, and Demetral Park. Elections will take place on April 7th, 2026.
Additional Organizing
Other important efforts this month included the following:
- No Appetite for Apartheid held a launch party, and is now regularly hosting Grocery Scouting with DSA. At these 1 hour events, you can meet a MADSA member at a specific grocery store and learn how to spot products for boycotting, and how to build your voice for pressuring stores to stop carrying companies that are complicit in the subjugation of Palestinian people.
- Phil Gasper held a talk on Trotsky’s Marxism at the Madison Public Library.
- Southern Dane County Branch successfully had its own membership meeting.
- There is now a working group meeting regularly about Fran Hong’s campaign.
- A temporary working group is aiming to establish a physical office for MADSA to help with our growing size and work load.
- Some chapter members have been seeking to grow community ties through art and music, and are building towards a community art build in March, as well as fostering a stronger chanting and music presence at protests.
Social Events
We continue hosting recurring social events – New Member Orientations, DSA 101, Coffee with Comrades, and the Rosebuddies program. A highlight from February was a special Galentine’s day event on February 13th!
The chapter also has a newly-started reading group for The Communist Manifesto, meeting on Saturdays at 10am.
Protest Song of the Month
MADSA members highlighted a few songs this month as part of the budding art and music efforts in the chapter. A recent feature was a modernized version of The Internationale, with lyrics updated in 2020 by Billy Bragg. Check it out here – song starts at 3 minutes in!
And that concludes our monthly round-up!
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