Voter voices from Rutland’s downtown Walmart plaza

VTDigger reporters visited a variety of sites across Vermont in recent weeks, asking voters directly about the issues they care most about this election season. This week we’ll bring you those voices as we approach Election Day on Nov. 3.

RUTLAND — Shoppers meandered outside the Walmart plaza parking lot on a fair weather October Friday as the Nov. 3 election approached. 

The gubernatorial race is an animating issue for voters in Rutland County, as Democratic and Progressive candidate Amanda Janoo, a political newcomer, and incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is seeking a sixth term, vie for the chief executive seat in Vermont. 

In 2024’s election, Rutland County voters, along with the rest of the state, favored Scott handily. In August, the majority of municipalities in Rutland County voted for childcare advocate Aly Richards over Janoo in the Democratic Primary. Yet, voters interviewed outside Walmart were divided between those who want a change in leadership and those who want to keep a steady course. 

Exiting Walmart, Erin Tiburske, 21, from Castleton, already cast a ballot through early mail-in voting, and filled in the bubble for Janoo at the top of the ticket. Tiburske wants to see Vermont’s healthcare and housing be more affordable, and favors Janoo’s stance on artificial intelligence and deterring data center construction in the state. 

Scott has had a long run, and it’s “time for something different,” Tiburske said. 

In contrast, another shopper entering Walmart, Zach Shively, 29, of Rutland, said he plans to vote for Scott because of his experience in office. 

“He’s been doing a decent job, and he’s a recognizable face,” said Shively, who said he’s not affiliated with a political party. 

Other voters have yet to pick a candidate for the state’s top office. 

Aileen Alinovi, 44, of Rutland, said that she is weighing her options and researching the election but will not be voting for the incumbent this time around. Scott has not done enough in his decade of service to deliver on campaign promises and bring economic vitality to places like Rutland and Vermont as a whole, Alinovi said. 

But Alinovi still wants to know more about the challenger before casting her ballot. “I really hope she’s a candidate that I could stand behind,” Alinovi said. 

Connie Witzing, 72, of Rutland Town, said that she is a Democrat but is undecided about the gubernatorial race. 

Witzing said she is concerned by the Trump administration’s leadership and the erosion of democratic institutions, and part of her wants to vote blue downballot “to send a message” nationally. 

But Witzing worries that the political newcomer, Janoo, is “green,” she said. Witzing views Scott as a more moderate Republican and a seasoned governor who knows how to steer the ship. 

“Our population is really little, and we have a lot of issues that need a good, strong government. We really do,” Witzing said.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Voter voices from Rutland’s downtown Walmart plaza.