Lawmaker's annual survey offers snapshot of Vermont

MONTPELIER, Vt.—They don't want the Vermont Lottery turned over to a private operator, they want Vermont Yankee re-licensed for another 20 years and they like the idea of eliminating jail time for people caught with one ounce or less of marijuana.

Those are among the results of state Sen. William Doyle's annual town meeting survey, an informal poll passed out to voters on Town Meeting Day for 39 years in hopes of gauging Vermonters' attitudes toward various initiatives.

The one-page survey got 13,500 responses from people in 162 Vermont towns this year, the biggest level of participation ever, according to Doyle, R-Washington.

Among the findings:

-- Gov. Jim Douglas' proposal to lease the Vermont Lottery, which has been roundly condemned by lawmakers, was no more popular with voters, with 74 percent opposing, 6 percent favoring and 20 percent not sure.

-- Sixty-six percent said jail time should be eliminated for possession of one ounce of marijuana and 26 percent disagreed. Meanwhile, 56 percent supported the legalization of hemp, while 32 percent opposed it.

-- Overwhelmingly, voters liked the idea of amending the state Constitution to make governors' terms four years instead of two, with 62 percent voting in favor and 30 percent against.

-- 42 percent of respondents say Vermont Yankee's license should be renewed, allowing it to stay open past 2012. Thirty-one percent opposed that and 27 percent were not sure.

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Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/