How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you, such as housing costs, health care, fuel prices, immigration or trade with Canada.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House writes federal law and sets the federal budget, and all bills that raise taxes must start there. Proposals 3 and 4 would change the Vermont Constitution.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. Vermont has one House seat, so the winner represents the whole state. The district lines have not changed because Vermont kept its single seat after the 2020 census, according to Ballotpedia’s Vermont redistricting page. At the candidates’ debates, the questions centered on housing and the cost of living, the war in Iran, health care, immigration enforcement and tariffs on Canadian goods. ​

Candidates In Brief

Phoenix K. Altair, an independent, works in information technology, according to a WPTZ profile.

Democrat Becca Balint, the incumbent, won the seat in 2022 after serving as president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate and is seeking a third term, according to WCAX. Balint won the Tuesday, Aug. 11 Democratic primary with 98.3% of the vote, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview.

Republican Gerald Malloy is a West Point graduate who served in the U.S. Army and later worked for defense contractors. Malloy was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024, and won the Aug. 11 Republican primary with 76.6% over Mark Coester.

Adam Ortiz, an independent, served in the Army National Guard, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and ran for this seat in 2022 and 2024, according to a WPTZ profile.

Suzanne Seymour, an independent, has worked as a massage therapist for 35 years and worked with Domino’s Pizza to open locations in New England, according to a WPTZ profile.

Ryan Walton, an independent, has a background in real estate, construction and software development. Walton’s campaign website says “Vermont does not need another campaign built around a political party.”

Cris Ericson, an independent, and Andrew Giusto of the Unity Party are running as write-in candidates, according to Ballotpedia.

Where They Stand

Cost of living and housing. Balint points to federal money Balint has brought home, citing “twenty-five million dollars to invest in housing, into community projects across the state,” and has proposed a $500 billion federal housing bill, according to WCAX’s debate coverage. Malloy promises tax cuts, says federal housing money is not enough and blames “20 years of supermajority that pushed all this tax-and-spend policy on Vermonters.” Malloy also wants to recruit businesses to give young Vermonters career paths.

The 2025 tax and spending law. Balint praises the law’s senior tax deduction and its tax breaks on tips and overtime, but says “the bulk of that bill was directed at folks at the very top,” according to Vermont Public’s debate coverage.

Iran. Balint calls the war in Iran “an illegal war” and blames it for higher fuel prices. Balint says the nuclear goal could have been reached through diplomacy: “We had an agreement in which we had regular checks on the nuclear capabilities.” Malloy first supported the strikes on Iran but says the war “was obviously not done well enough to actually determine the objective and the end state and an exit plan.” Malloy supports a peace deal only if Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.

Health care. Balint says “I’m a ‘Medicare for All’ person” and supports federal drug price negotiation and limits on pharmacy benefit managers. Malloy opposes Medicare for All and supports drug price transparency and faster approval of generic drugs. Ortiz wants to expand access to mental health care, support women veterans and make Vermont a destination for physical therapy and mental health treatment, including by rebuilding abandoned towns.

Immigration. Balint wants to dismantle U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it a paramilitary force acting unconstitutionally. Malloy opposes abolishing it and supports deporting people who commit crimes, but says the government should not try to track down every undocumented person, such as hotel workers and farmworkers.

Trade with Canada. Balint says the administration’s tariffs are hurting Vermont small businesses. Malloy opposes tariffs on Canadian goods and says the administration should have stayed at the negotiating table. Balint, Malloy and Ortiz all want to repair the relationship with Canada.

Oversight. If Democrats win the House, Balint says they would investigate the Trump administration to bring it “back in line with the law.” Altair calls for an audit of government spending “to figure out where the money is, where it’s going,” according to WPTZ.

In Their Own Words

Becca Balint, at the Thursday, Oct. 8 Vermont Public debate:

“The time has come for us to finally have a single-payer system nationally that is similar to Medicare.”

Gerald Malloy, per WCAX’s campaign profile published Tuesday, Sept. 22:

“I know I can deliver results for Vermont.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Balint and Malloy debated three times:

  • On Vermont Public on Thursday, Oct. 8, with Ortiz.
  • On WCAX on Thursday, Oct. 15.
  • On WPTZ on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Balint and Malloy answered the Seven Days voter guide, and Walton declined it.

Endorsements

Before the Aug. 11 primary, the Addison County Independent editorial board endorsed Balint and Malloy in their party primaries.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia. Balint reported raising about $1.18 million, spending about $712,000 and holding about $612,000 in cash. The other candidates reported no FEC fundraising.

The only outside spending in Ballotpedia’s tally is $10 from Sierra Club Independent Action supporting Balint.

Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings. Smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total, so small donors’ names are not public.

The Incumbent’s Record

Balint serves on the House Budget Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, where Balint is vice ranking member. Balint’s caucuses include the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Labor Caucus, the Congressional Renters Caucus and the Maple Caucus.

In the current Congress, Balint has sponsored 24 bills and resolutions, none of which has passed the House, and has cosponsored 396 bills, according to Legis1 records.

Challengers’ Records

None of the challengers has held public office. Malloy served 22 years on active duty in the Army.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

The League of Conservation Voters scorecard rates environmental votes, and the Heritage Action scorecard rates votes from a conservative perspective. Both grade Balint, and because each group picks different votes, their ratings measure different things.

Also On Your Ballot

Vermont voters will decide two proposed amendments to the state constitution. Each had to pass two separately elected legislatures before going to voters, according to Vermont Public’s explainer.

Proposal 3: Right to collectively bargain. A Yes vote adds to the constitution a right for employees to organize or join a union and bargain collectively over wages, hours and working conditions, according to the Senate-adopted text of Proposal 3. It also bars laws that interfere with that right or with contracts requiring union membership as a condition of employment. A No vote leaves those protections in state law only. The Senate approved it 29 to 0 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, according to the Senate roll call on Proposal 3, and the House approved it 125 to 15.

Larry Moquin Jr., president of the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, says it would protect workers’ rights for future generations, according to Moquin’s VTDigger commentary. Most opponents want Vermont to become a right-to-work state, where union membership is voluntary, and some say the change could signal that Vermont is unfriendly to business. Elizabeth Brown, Vermont director of the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, says it would permanently rule out right-to-work laws and “lock in a system that costs us jobs, investment and taxes,” according to Brown’s VTDigger commentary. Gov. Phil Scott (R) says Scott is unsure how to vote and expects it to have little effect either way, according to Vermont Public.

Proposal 4: Equal protection. A Yes vote guarantees equal protection under the law and bars the state from denying equal treatment because of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or national origin, according to the Senate-adopted text of Proposal 4. It still allows measures meant to provide equal opportunity to groups that have faced discrimination. A No vote leaves the constitution without an explicit equal protection clause. Supporters say Vermonters can no longer count on the U.S. Supreme Court or the federal government to protect them against discrimination.

The Legislature passed it in 2024, 28 to 0 in the Senate and 141 to 4 in the House. It passed again in 2026, 29 to 0 in the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, and 128 to 14 in the House, according to the League of Women Voters of Vermont, which supports it. The Windham County NAACP backs it, according to its testimony to lawmakers. Renee McGuinness of the Vermont Family Alliance, spokesperson for the No on Proposal 4 PAC, says it “creates a hierarchy of rights rather than protecting equal rights” and would raise costs through new bureaucracy and lawsuits, according to McGuinness’ VTDigger commentary.

Before You Go

Still Ahead

  • Early voting at your town or city clerk’s office ends Monday, Nov. 2, during the clerk’s business hours.
  • Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls open between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on the town, and close at 7 p.m. Find your hours and polling place on the Vermont Voter Portal.
  • Same day registration: You can register and vote at your polling place on Election Day.
  • Mail ballots must reach your town clerk by 7 p.m. on Election Day. You can return a ballot by mail, to the clerk’s office, to an official drop box or at your polling place.
  • ID: Most voters do not need ID. First-time voters who registered by mail must show ID such as a driver’s license, passport, current utility bill, bank statement or government document with their name and address.
  • In the booth: You may bring materials such as candidate information to help you vote. Do not display them publicly inside the polling place, take them with you when you leave and remove any candidate buttons or stickers, according to the Secretary of State’s voter FAQs.
  • Questions: Call the Vermont Elections Division at 802-828-2363 or 1-800-439-VOTE, or call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), per Election Protection.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Debates

News

Ballot Measures

Scorecards

Voting Information

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