---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to the use of the Australian ballot system in local elections"
description: "An act relating to the use of the Australian ballot system in local elections"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "H 78"
citation: "Vermont H 78 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 22
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-23"
last_action: "2025-02-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bd7bf645-1a3a-4929-a51e-48676e40c8be"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2026/731"
source_hash: "6906a044fb87127f7cf6c676c964bdaabc6e353d12afbf65c34ba96589910c00"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-vt"]
---

# Vermont H 78 (2025-2026) — An act relating to the use of the Australian ballot system in local elections

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **As Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0078/H-0078%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT001/ACT001%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT001/ACT001%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **As Passed By the House (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0078/H-0078%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20House%20Official.pdf)
5. **As Passed By the House (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0078/H-0078%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20House%20Unofficial.pdf)
6. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0078/H-0078%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
7. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0078/H-0078%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Sponsors

- House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-23** Committee bill read the first time and placed on Notice Calendar of 1/24/2025
- **2025-01-28** Action Calendar: Committee bill for second reading `reading-2`
- **2025-01-28** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-01-28** Rep. Birong of Vergennes spoke for the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
- **2025-01-28** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2025-01-29** Action Calendar: Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-01-29** Read third time and passed `reading-3`
- **2025-01-29** Rules suspended and bill messaged forthwith to the Senate as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2025-01-30** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Government Operations `introduction`
- **2025-02-05** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2025-02-05** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-05** Favorable report by Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-06** New Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-06** Favorable report by Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-06** Reported favorably by Senator Collamore for Committee on Government Operations, read 2nd time and 3rd reading ordered `committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2025-02-06** Rules suspended & bill placed on all remaining stages of passage, on motion of Senator Baruth
- **2025-02-06** Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence `reading-3`
- **2025-02-06** Rules suspended & action messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator Baruth
- **2025-02-06** Senate Message: Passed in concurrence `passage`
- **2025-02-07** Delivered to the Governor on February 7, 2025 `passage`
- **2025-02-13** Signed by Governor on February 13, 2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-02-21** House message: Governor approved bill on February 13, 2025

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bd7bf645-1a3a-4929-a51e-48676e40c8be`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).