Support for secession grows among Vermonters

Support for secession grows among Vermonters

BURLINGTON — A recent statewide survey conducted by the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont found that the percentage of eligible voters who favor Vermont seceding from the Union States and becoming an independent republic, as it once was between 1777 and 1791, increased from 8 percent in 2006 to 14 percent in 2007.

The 2007 Vermonter Poll was based on a random sample of 599 eligible voters conducted in February.

The 13 percent figure may represent the highest percentage favoring secession of any of the 35 states with secession movements, according to the Second Vermont Republic, the group that advocates for peacable secession.

The secession support is girded by Vermonters' response to a second question: “Has the United States government lost its moral authority?” Of those polled, 74.3 percent agreed that it had.

Of those Vermonters who favor secession, 83.6 percent would like to see the question put before voters on Town Meeting Day. And, of those who favor secession, 93 percent would then like to see the issue considered by the Legislature.

Posted May 3, 2007 Vermont Guardian