Town Meeting TV, a public-access television station based in Burlington, Vermont, is gearing up for its live election results show, a tradition that has become a cornerstone of local democracy in the state. Known for its grassroots approach, the station provides detailed coverage of Vermont’s Town Meeting Day, which will be held on March 3, 2025, and will feature live updates from the greater Burlington area.

Unique Approach to Local Democracy

Unlike major media outlets, which often rely on high-tech graphics and predictive models, Town Meeting TV offers a more hands-on, community-driven experience. The station’s election-night coverage is characterized by live interviews, candid discussions, and a candid acknowledgment of its low-budget production. The show, which is hosted by Bobby Lussier and former state senator Debbie Ingram, aims to provide a transparent view of the electoral process.

“It’s supposed to be messy,” said Meghan O’Rourke, codirector of the Center for Media & Democracy, which oversees the station. “We’re using the medium of television the way God intended: to connect people.”

Town Meeting TV has filled a critical gap in local news coverage, particularly as other media outlets, such as the Burlington Free Press, have scaled back their election coverage over the past two decades. The station serves approximately 25,000 households across several communities in the Burlington area, including Essex, Winooski, and Colchester.

Preparation and Coverage Process

Preparation for the election night show begins months in advance. Jordan Mitchell, a 26-year-old University of Vermont graduate and election coverage manager for the station, starts by collecting candidate names and reaching out to each one. The station aims to include every candidate on the ballot, regardless of whether they are running unopposed or have strong opposition.

Candidates participate in moderated forums, where they are given 15 minutes to speak on prepared questions. These forums, which differ from traditional political debates, emphasize a more conversational and less adversarial tone.

“We’re not playing a gotcha game,” O’Rourke said. “We recognize people are running for office as a public service, and in most cases, even if they’re coming at it with an ideology, they’re doing it with a sense of purpose: to serve the whole community.”

The forums typically wrap up by the third week in February, giving the station’s staff time to prepare for Election Day. On the day of the election, part-time staff and volunteers begin their work at 6 a.m., picking up cameras and receiving assignments. They then deploy to polling stations to conduct on-camera interviews of voters.

The interviews not only provide content for the live show but also offer a snapshot of the community. For example, exit interviews from the 2000s highlighted residents voting down the school budget, while more recent interviews show a shift in community sentiment.

Adapting to the Unexpected

The election night show is known for its unpredictability. In 2024, the station had assumed that Democrat Joan Shannon would win the Burlington mayoral election. However, when it became clear that Progressive candidate Emma Mulvaney-Stanak had won, the station had to quickly adjust its coverage.

Steven Heron, codirector of Town Meeting TV, called a field producer who was on their second day on the job and told them, “You’re suddenly the most important person we’ve got in Burlington.” A last-minute delivery of streaming equipment allowed the station to air live footage from the Progressive victory party at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery.

Despite the technical challenges, the station was able to broadcast Mulvaney-Stanak’s victory speech, marking a historic moment as the first female mayor of Burlington.

Technical mishaps are not uncommon. During one show, a microphone became unplugged, forcing Mitchell to crawl under the wooden desk to fix it. These moments, while disruptive, are part of the charm of the live coverage.

Every candidate on the ballot is also invited to the station for a live election-night interview, leading to some particularly memorable moments. In 2024, independent mayoral candidate Will Emmons delivered an extended and largely incomprehensible speech, which included an unusual challenge to Steven Spielberg.

As the night wears on, volunteers at local polling stations begin relaying results to the station. O’Rourke and a team of staff members enter the data into a massive spreadsheet that feeds into a dedicated results web page. The results are then broadcast in real time.

“It’s really interesting to see how a community changes through the lens of its democracy,” O’Rourke said. “The show is a reflection of the community’s voice and its evolving priorities.”

Town Meeting TV’s election-night coverage continues to be a vital part of local democracy in Vermont. As the station prepares for its live show, it remains committed to providing a transparent and inclusive view of the electoral process, even if it means embracing the occasional glitch or unexpected twist.