Date/Time
Date(s) - September 15, 2026
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Fee: Free
Register at: https://give.unitedwaynwvt.org/e/nonprofits-voting-and-civic-engagement
Join Common Good Vermont and the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office for a conversation about the important role nonprofits play in strengthening democracy and increasing civic participation.
This webinar will introduce the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide, a resource developed by Common Good Vermont in partnership with Nonprofit VOTE and the National Council of Nonprofits, to help organizations confidently and legally engage voters through nonpartisan outreach, education, and registration efforts. Participants will also learn about the Secretary of State’s Civic Connect Program and other resources available to support civic engagement across Vermont communities.
The session will begin with remarks from the Secretary of State, followed by a discussion with nonprofit leaders who are actively engaging voters and fostering civic participation. Panelists will share about what voter engagement looks like for their organization, why they do it, and successes and lessons learned from their work in communities across the state.
The webinar will conclude with time for Q&A, providing attendees the opportunity to ask questions and explore ways their organizations can increase voter participation and civic engagement.
This event will include:
- Remarks from Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas
- Introduction to the Vermont Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide
- Overview of the Secretary of State’s Civic Connect Program
- Conversation with nonprofits doing voter engagement work
- Q&A
Whether your organization is just getting started or looking to deepen its voter engagement efforts, this session will offer practical tools, resources, and inspiration to help your community make its voice heard.
Register Here
Event Details
This virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event by 2 pm EST.
This session will be recorded. The recording will be available to registrants for 10 days after the live event.
Meet the Speakers
Elected in 2022, Sarah Copeland Hanzas is Vermont’s 39th Secretary of State, and the second woman to hold the office. She has led major modernizations, implementing five new IT platforms — including a new Safe-at-Home portal — to improve service, security, and productivity. She champions accountability and transparency by safeguarding election laws and voter rolls, convening a Town Clerk Advisory Committee, and conducting Business Listening Tours. A strong advocate for civic education and engagement, she brought the nationwide Kid Governor program to Vermont, initiated a Voting Accessibility Task Force, and in 2026 launched the Civic Connect program to help businesses and nonprofits share trustworthy voting information and expand employee engagement. Since the 2024 election year, her office has compiled a free, personalized voter guide with position descriptions and candidate statements for Vermont voters. Previously an educator, youth coach, small business owner, and 18-year state legislator (Majority Leader; Co-Chair, Climate Solutions Caucus; Chair, House Government Operations Committee), she now co-chairs the Elections Committee of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).
Robyn Palmer is the Director of Civic and Voter Engagement at the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. She is passionate about empowering Vermonters to connect with their community and make their voices heard. Prior to taking this position, she served as the Program Manager of the SerVermont AmeriCorps VISTA Program for ten years. Robyn has a BA in American Studies and Art History from Temple University in Philadelphia and earned her Master’s in Higher Education from the University of Maryland. She is so grateful to call Vermont home and currently resides in Shelburne with her husband, their growing record collection, and two silly cats.
Meet the Panelists
Angelike Contis is Executive Director of Mount Mansfield Community Television and Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Vermont Access Network. Raised in Vermont, she returned to the state in 2012. Contis has a background in journalism and documentary-making in the US and abroad.
Lindsey Owen St. Amour was born and raised in Vermont and has been committed to supporting people with disabilities since her youth, when she began volunteering to help students with disabilities learn to swim. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion, leading her to work as an assistant teacher in a classroom serving children with autism and later as a behavior interventionist.
Lindsey graduated cum laude with a double major in philosophy and psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University. She then graduated cum laude from Vermont Law School in 2013 and began working with Disability Rights Vermont (DRVT) even before completing her degree in an advocacy role. After becoming a licensed attorney in Vermont later that year, she served as a staff attorney at DRVT, representing individuals in discrimination cases before the Vermont Human Rights Commission and, for several years, focusing on the rights of crime victims with disabilities. In that role, she worked to ensure victims’ rights were upheld during criminal prosecutions and assisted victims seeking protection orders.
In May 2021, Lindsey stepped in as Acting Executive Director during a time of organizational transition following the retirement of longtime director Ed Paquin. She was appointed as the permanent Executive Director in July 2021 and continues to lead DRVT in its mission to defend and advance the rights of people with disabilities across the state.
A New Englander by birth, Paige Vignola has spent much of her adult life traveling and living across the globe, fueled by her belief in the core value of lived experience. She has put her degrees in English Literature and Medieval History to use over many years working with teenagers and young adults, both in the
classroom and through community volunteer opportunities. Her diverse skills and experience led her to a new career in librarianship in 2022, where her passion for education and community engagement has allowed her to flourish. As the Assistant Director of Manchester Community Library in Manchester,
Vermont, Paige is dedicated to creating programs that support the curricula of local educators and collaborating with local nonprofits and businesses to better serve their towns. Through her life’s work in education and public librarianship, she has come to recognize the importance of civic engagement in creating a strong, supportive community. She hopes to encourage everyone to participate more fully in civic engagement at the local level, where they can have the greatest impact.