The politics of Chelsea, VT are largely influenced by the local government. The town is managed by a select board consisting of three members who are elected to serve staggered terms. Additionally, Chelsea’s legislative representation is provided by two state representatives in the Vermont House of Representatives and one state senator who serves all of Orange County. Residents of this small rural town often have an active voice when it comes to local politics, as regular public hearings are held for input on important issues. In addition to the annual Town Meeting where citizens can vote on budget appropriations and other matters, residents have the opportunity to participate in various committees and boards that help shape their community's future. The people of Chelsea, VT take great pride in their town and strive for continued growth and progress while preserving its rural character.
The political climate in Chelsea, VT is leaning liberal.
Orange County, VT is strongly liberal. In Orange County, VT 60.2% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 36.1% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.7% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Orange county remained overwhelmingly Democratic, 60.2% to 36.1%.
Orange county voted Democratic in the last five Presidential elections, after voting Republican in 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Chelsea, VT is leaning liberal.
Orange County, Vermont is strongly liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Chelsea, Vermont: r D D D D D
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Chelsea, VT
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 580 contributions totaling $29,692 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $51 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 67 contributions totaling $4,200 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $63 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)