Community Media Powers Vermont Civic Life on Town Meeting Day 2026
A Town Meeting Day update from all of us in the Vermont Access Network...
Working behind the scenes to help Vermonters be seen, heard and connected with each other, elected representatives, and the democratic process, our state’s community media centers were working hard before, during and after Town Meeting Day on March 3, 2026.
Leading up to meetings and votes around the state, the 24 members of the Vermont Access Network (VAN), who operate 80 Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) Access Television channels, and their 9 community radio partners, recorded and transmitted candidate statements, election forums, and ballot informational hearings and interviews. Local officials and state representatives were on air at community radio stations discussing the issues - and explaining the process to first-time voters. Community media staff and volunteers were at polling places talking to candidates, voters and community organizations. They held election result shows and, afterwards, welcomed newly-elected officials into their studios, captured organizational meetings of school boards and selectboards alike and archived it all.
In a time when media is shrinking and the authenticity of sources are often in doubt, Vermont’s community media TV and radio is a reliable and trusted first source, transmitting 35,000 hours of hyperlocal content in 2025. Kurt Broderson, Executive Director of Middlebury Community Television and President of the Vermont Access Network, noted that Vermonters show higher levels of trust in their local governments than in many other places, and that is due in part to the transparency that community media brings to local governance.
Rutland City Clerk Tracy Kapusta thanked PEG-TV for their election night program, noting: “You had the results before anyone else, and we even tuned in when we got back to City Hall. Your staff is polite and very respectful." In Winooski, a city official commented: ”A heartfelt thanks to EVERYONE for making that a great meeting! Special thank you to Town Meeting TV and WSD for making the remote meeting portion such a success. It worked wonderfully and was the best yet!”
As meetings are evolving, media centers partnered with towns to assist; in Jericho, MMCTV helped the town hold a new hybrid budget meeting in January, part of a shift to Australian Ballot-only voting on Town Meeting Day.
A comprehensive snapshot follows, listing how community media organizations brought Town Meeting Day to communities across Vermont.
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ORGANIZATION |
TOWN MEETING EVENT |
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BCTV |
Townshend Pre-Town Meeting Informational Session 2/19/26, Dummerston Selectboard Town Meeting Day Info Meeting & Regular Meeting 2/18/26, Guilford Pre-Town Meeting Info Session 2/19/26, Putney Pre-Town Meeting Info Session 2/28/26, Marlboro Pre-Town Meeting Info Session 2/28/26, Meet The Candidates: Brattleboro Selectboard Candidates Forum 2/24/26, Meet The Candidates: Windham Southeast School District Board Candidates Forum 2/26/26, Brattleboro Reformer Presents: Brattleboro Selectboard Candidate Debate 2/18/26, 2026 Guilford Town Meeting 2/28/26, 2026 Jamaica Town Meeting 3/3/26, 2026 Vernon Town Meeting 3/2/26, 2026 Newfane Town Meeting 3/3/26, 2026 Dummerston Town Meeting 3/3/26, 2026 Putney Town Meeting 3/3/26, 2026 Townshend Town Meeting 3/3/26, 2026 Windham Town Meeting 3/3/26,Unofficial Brattleboro Election Results 2026 |
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CAT-TV |
Shaftsbury Annual Meeting 3/2/26, Bennington Meeting 3/2/26, Pownal Annual Meeting 3/2/26, MAUHS & SVUESD Annual Floor Meetings, SWTech Annual Floor Meeting, Bennington Election Results, No. Bennington Village Trustees 3-17-2026, North Bennington Village School Annual Floor Meeting 2/28/26, SVUESD Budget PSA |
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CCTV |
Burlington Progressives Nominating Caucus, Winooski School District Budget Presentation, South Burlington School District Budget Presentation, Burlington Ballot Items Presentation, Williston Budget and Ballot Items Presentation, Essex Budget and Ballot Items Presentation, South Burlington Budget and Ballot Items Presentation, Champlain Valley Union School District Budget Presentation, Winooski Budget and Ballot Items Presentation, Burlington School District Budget Presentation, 14 Candidate Forums for Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Williston, Winooski, Winooski Town Meeting Day Annual Meeting, South Burlington Steering Committee Annual Meeting, Williston Annual Town Meeting, Essex Selectboard Annual Meeting, Exit Voices - Raw Footage Compilation - 2026 Town Meeting Day (covers Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Williston, Winooski), Town Meeting 2026 Election Night Preview, Town Meeting 2026 Election Night Results, Essex Junction Budget and Ballot Items Presentation, 3 Candidate Forums for Essex Junction (hosts elections in April) |
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CVTV |
Plainfield Town Meeting 2026 |
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FACT TV |
Rockingham Selectboard Candidates Forum 2/22/26, Rockingham Annual Meeting & Town School District Meeting 2/28/26, BFUHS School Board Annual Meeting 2/16/26 |
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GMATV |
Lamoille Legislative Breakfast - January 2026, Hyde Park Town Meeting 2026, Morristown Community Meeting Pie Day, 2026 (replaced Town Meeting), Johnson Town Meeting 2026 |
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GNAT-TV |
Sunderland Town Meeting, Arlington Town Meeting, Dorset Town Meeting, Manchester Town Meeting, Taconic & Green Annual Meeting, Londonderry Town Meeting, Weston Special Town Meeting 02.14.26, Weston Town Meeting, Winhall Town Meeting |
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HCTV |
Hardwick Selectboard, Hardwick Town Meeting, Woodbury Town Meeting, Woodbury Public Hearing, Hardwick Candidates Forum |
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JAM |
Hartford Town & School Meeting 2-28-26, Hartford Selectboard Organizational Meeting 3/5/25 |
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KATV |
St. Johnsbury Selectboard, St. Johnsbury Town Informational Meeting, Danville School Board, Concord Selectboard Meeting |
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LCATV |
Colchester, Milton, Georgia, Fairfax, Westford, South Hero, Grand Isle and North Hero town meetings, Live Town Meeting Results, CIUU Informational Meeting, South Hero Selectboard Candidate Statements 2026-02-19, Milton Selectboard Candidate Statements 2026-02-19, Milton School Board Candidate Statements 2026-02-29, MTSD, School Board Candidate Forum 2026-02-17, Georgia School Budget Information 2026-02-19, Fairfax Selectboard, Candidate Statements 2026-02-19, Colchester Town Budget Presentation 2026-02-05, Colchester School Budget Presentation 2026-02-03 |
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MCTV |
Middlebury Town Meeting |
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MMCTV |
Underhill Town Meeting, Town Meeting Snapshot 2026, Town Meeting Day Results 2026, Richmond Town Meeting, Jericho Town Library Vote Info, MMUUSD Board Candidate E. Graning statement, Richmond Selectboard Info Meeting 3/2/26, Underhill Selectboard Info Meeting 2/27/26, MMUUSD Informational Meeting 2-19-26, Jericho Candidates Q& A 02-11-2026, Jericho Special Selectboard: Town Meeting Reimagined Budget Meeting 1/20/26 |
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MRVTV |
Waitsfield Selectboard: Infrastructure Summit (2/17/2026), HUUSD School Board Public Budget and Informational Meeting (2/4/2026), Waitsfield Town Meeting, Warren Town Meeting, Fayston Town Meeting, Moretown Town Meeting |
|
Media Factory |
Charlotte Town Meeting, Informational Meeting on Town of Charlotte Australian Ballot, Ferrisburgh Informational Meeting, Shelburne Informational Meeting, Vergennes Informational Meeting, Champlain Valley School District Informational Meeting, Addison Northwest School District Informational Meeting, Shelburne Candidates Forum, Hinesburg Informational Meeting |
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NEAT |
Lincoln Town Meeting, Monkton Town Meeting, Bristol Town Meeting |
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NWA-TV |
Town Meeting Day Results Show 2026, For The Record: Swanton Selectboard Candidate Forum, For The Record: Swanton Selectboard Candidate Conversation, For The Record: Swanton Town Meeting Day Preview, For The Record: St. Albans Town Meeting Day Preview, For The Record: St. Albans City Town Meeting Day Preview, For The Record: Swanton Village Town Meeting Day Preview |
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ORCA |
Rochester Selectboard Town Meeting 3/2/26, Middlesex Select Board Town Meeting 3/3/26, East Montpelier Town Meeting, Bethel Town Meeting 3/3/26, Granville Town Meeting 3/3/26, Waterbury Town Meeting, Calais Town Meeting, Braintree Town Meeting, Berlin Town Meeting 2/28/2026, Randolph Town Meeting 2/28/2026 |
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OVTV |
Ludlow Town Meeting, Plymouth Town Meeting, Reading Town Meeting, Cavendish Town Meeting, Andover Town Meeting, Mount Holly Town Meeting |
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RRCTV |
Live Aldermanic Candidates Forum, Live Election Night Coverage |
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SAPA-TV |
Chester Annual Town Meeting, Springfield Annual Town Meeting |
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WCTV |
Woodstock Town Meeting |
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WOA |
Windsor Town Meeting 2026, West Windsor Town Meeting 2026, Windsor Selectboard Candidate Forum 2-24-2026, MASD School Board Candidate Forum |
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WGDR Radio |
Town Meeting Day docket-related programs included interviews on "Into the Issues" with Steve Pappas (Times Argus) with Sen. Andrew Perchlik (Washington County) and Rep. Gina Galfetti (Barre) and Sunday morning call-in show "Curse of the Golden Turnip," which spoke about town meeting day as direct democracy in action. This content, and much more, demonstrated the power of community radio in keeping listeners engaged with their communities, and this democratic institution in the state. All programming is available for up to two weeks at the WGDR.org archives. |