Shoppers at the Norwich Farmers Market on Oct. 17, 2026 react to sudden snow flurries. Photo by Olivia Gieger/VTDigger 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’l l bring you those voices as we approach Election Day on Nov. 3. NORWICH — Between snow showers on an otherwise sunny Saturday, tourists, locals and hordes of Dartmouth College students filtered through the Norwich Farmers’ Market on one of its final days before winter.   An Oct. 17 snapshot of voters in Norwich, a reliably blue town that has nevertheless voted for Republican Gov. Phil Scott in his bid for Vermont’s top office in years past, revealed a desire for a change in leadership.  Heather Daniels, a self-employed consultant from Hartford, voted for Scott in each of his previous races but is now ready to cast her ballot for the Democratic nominee, Amanda Janoo.  “It might be time for a change at this point,” she said.  As a remote worker herself, she takes particular issue with Scott’s mandate for state employees to return to in-person work. She said she worried it will limit the talent and geographical diversity the state can draw on, excluding many potential workers from places like Windsor County. “I feel like that was harsh, and I feel like that was a little short-sighted for the state of Vermont,” Daniels said.  Marilyn Syme, a Pomfret artist, is supporting Janoo after years of voting for Scott. Syme said her vote is motivated by a national perspective, as she watches a Republican-led Congress and presidential administration with horror. She doesn’t want to see influences like that take root in Vermont. “I think (Democrats) need to make a stand on every level and not take a chance that there’s any wiggle room,” she said. Shoppers at the Norwich Farmers Market on Oct. 17, 2026 react to sudden snow flurries. Photo by Olivia Gieger/VTDigger Jim Smith, a Thetford software engineer, was undecided. He said he was waiting to hear what both Janoo and Scott had to say in the gubernatorial debate that Vermont Public would be hosting a few days later, on Oct. 21. He’s voted for Scott in the past and suspected he may again. “I don’t vote party line, that’s for sure,” he said, describing himself as a conservative Democrat.  Smith said he appreciates the work the Scott administration is doing to consolidate school districts. Also, “land use is definitely important,” he added.  Chris Gray, who runs the long-embattled Norwich Creamery, also said he’s undecided, but his convictions are clearer when it comes to the loss of small farms and working lands.  “From a farmer’s perspective, when you look at the land, you see a lot of it being unused,” he said. “We’ve essentially turned southern Vermont into a land museum for the rich.” And he said the wealthy should have to pay an entrance fee for that museum, or at least stop in the gift shop. “They should be taxed for their second homes,” he said, describing a vision for a wealth tax not unlike Janoo’s. But he said more of that income collected could go toward support such as a universal basic income for Vermont farmers. “One percent of our population feeds 100% of us,” he said.  “It’s a good industry,” Gray said. “We’ve got to eat. We make the best milk in the world. We should be making more of it. So I want a leader who’s going to reach down to us directly, solve problems on a one-on-one basis.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Voter voices from the Upper Valley. ...read more read less