Oral history interview with Sarah Copeland Hanzas
Title
Oral history interview with Sarah Copeland Hanzas
Description
Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas discusses her experiences as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She speaks about how her work as chair of the Government Operations Committee and co-chair of the Climate Solutions Caucus was impacted by the Vermont legislature's transition to virtual sessions in March 2020. She also recalls discussions that then Secretary of State Jim Condos initiated in 2020 about how to safely run elections under pandemic conditions. She explains how several legislative priorities played out during the pandemic. Specifically, some of those she mentions include a bill allowing for universal vote by mail, work on Vermont's open meeting law, climate legislation, and a fix for the public employee pension system. She briefly talks about her decision to run for Secretary of State and her campaign for the position in 2022.
More personally, Copeland Hanzas relates her children's experiences attending college and working in San Francisco during the pandemic. She describes the economic impact of the pandemic on her hometown of Bradford, Vermont, including on the caéf that she owned at the time. She also shares her observations on other difficulties the pandemic posed for her constituents, such as trouble navigating the system for unemployment benefits.
Sarah Louise Copeland Hanzas was elected as the 40th Secretary of State of Vermont in 2022. She previously served in the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Orange County's 2nd district, from January 2005-January 2023. She was majority leader of the Vermont House from 2015 to 2017.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
More personally, Copeland Hanzas relates her children's experiences attending college and working in San Francisco during the pandemic. She describes the economic impact of the pandemic on her hometown of Bradford, Vermont, including on the caéf that she owned at the time. She also shares her observations on other difficulties the pandemic posed for her constituents, such as trouble navigating the system for unemployment benefits.
Sarah Louise Copeland Hanzas was elected as the 40th Secretary of State of Vermont in 2022. She previously served in the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Orange County's 2nd district, from January 2005-January 2023. She was majority leader of the Vermont House from 2015 to 2017.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
Date
2023-10-13
Subject
Source
Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project
Identifier
AudioFileCOVID-086
Format
MP3
WAV
Type
Audio file
Rights
Permission to publish material from the Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project may be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.
Interviewer
Wingerson, Amber
Interviewee
Copeland Hanzas, Sarah, 1970-
Duration
1 hr., 39 min., 58 sec.
Repository
Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4215
Collection
Citation
“Oral history interview with Sarah Copeland Hanzas,” Digital Vermont: A Project of the Vermont Historical Society, accessed April 3, 2025, https://digitalvermont.org/vtcovid/AudioFileCOVID-086.