Editing Vermont (section)

====Political changes====

Vermont approved women's suffrage decades before it became part of the national constitution. Women were first allowed to vote in the elections of December 18, 1880, when they were granted limited [[suffrage]]. They were first allowed to vote in town elections, and later in state legislative races.

In 1931, Vermont was the 29th state to pass a [[eugenics]] law. Vermont, like other states, sterilized some patients in institutions and persons it had identified through surveys as degenerate or unfit. It nominally had permission from the patients or their guardians, but abuses were documented. Two-thirds of the sterilizations were done on women, and poor, unwed mothers were targeted, among others. There is disagreement about how many sterilizations were performed; most were completed between 1931 and 1941, but such procedures were recorded as late as 1970.<ref name="VT.ster" />

In 1964, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] decision in ''[[Reynolds v. Sims]]'' required "[[one man, one vote]]" redistricting in all states. It had found that many state legislatures had not redistricted and were dominated by rural interests, years after the development of densely populated and industrial urban areas. In addition, it found that many states had an upper house based on geographical jurisdictions, such as counties. This gave disproportionate power to rural and lightly populated counties.<ref name="Udall">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/udall/congrept/88th/641014.html |website=Congressman's Report |first=Morris K. |last=Udall |title=Reapportionment—I "One Man, One Vote" ... That's All She Wrote! |publisher=[[University of Arizona]] |date=October 14, 1964 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010203724/http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/udall/congrept/88th/641014.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The court ruled there was no basis for such a structure. Major changes in political apportionment took place in Vermont and other affected states.<ref name="Udall" />

In the 21st century, Vermont increasingly became defined by its progressivism. It was the first state to introduce [[civil union]]s in 2000 and the first state to legalize [[same-sex marriage]] in 2009, unforced by court challenge or ruling.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goodnough |first=Abby |date=April 7, 2009 |title=Vermont Legislature Makes Same-Sex Marriage Legal |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08vermont.html |access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> On January 22, 2018, Vermont became the first state to legalize [[cannabis]] for recreational use by legislative action, and the ninth state in the United States to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. This law was signed by Republican Governor [[Phil Scott]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ring |first=Wilson |title=Vermont governor signs marijuana bill with 'mixed emotions' |url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/22/vermont-governor-scott-signs-pot-bill-mixed-emotions/1055063001/ |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=Burlington Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref>