On Feb 10, 2025  the VTGOP Chairman Paul Dame issued the following correction to a press release that was issued on Friday regarding the House’s decision in the Bennington-1 decision:

“In Friday’s press release I mistakenly characterized Rep. Cooper’s failure to vote on the issue of the disenfranchised voters of Pownal as a “lack of courage” to take one side or the other publicly. This was in accurate first because he had testified in the committee during the process that “additional voting, revoting, or other ballot activities would do more harm than good” and secondly because House Rules allow a member to abstain in situations where they may obtain a personal benefit from the vote. It was unfair to call him out for playing both sides, when he had advocated clearly for one position in committee.

Regardless of his vote to abstain, I and many others have expressed concern about his remarks that it would “do harm” to give voice to those people in Pownal who were denied the right to participate in the election of their State Representative.”