Alex Yin, UVM’s executive director of institutional research and assessment, announced his write-in campaign for the Vermont governership in a Sept. 8 Instagram post. 

Yin started his campaign upon recognizing what he believes to be several failures from the state, including a lack of capital funds allocated towards public school renovation in over 15 years and multiple data failures from the Department of Labor, his website states. 

“With all the assets of our state, I believe Vermont can do better for its people,” Yin stated in the post. “I’m running for governor because I believe in setting higher expectations. We need a leader who can deal with the issues of today while building the foundation for us to thrive in the future.”

Yin wants to fund schools more equitably, building upon his past work with the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity, his website states. This coalition advocated for adjusting the school funding formula, which was successful when Governor Phil Scott passed S.287, a law addressing student equity.

Beyond financial investments, Yin also believes students need personal connections in order to stay in Vermont following graduation, according to his website. He has fostered such connections through working with the Winooski School Board and UVM’s Asian Student Union. 

Yin has worked as the executive director of institutional research and assessment since 2016, according to his website. Since 2017, he has been a trustee on the Winooski School Board, of which he is now the secretary. Heis also a member of the board for Caminar Latino and Latinos United for Peace and Equity.

Yin is self-funding his campaign and will spend at most $10,000, according to his website. He will also not create any campaign signs, as he believes they detract from the state’s beauty. 

“If you want to support [Yin’s] write-in campaign please donate to a school district in Vermont with a note that says, ‘education is an investment’ to help counter the current administration’s narrative that ‘education is a cost,’” his website states.

The current candidates on the ballot for the November 2022 election for governor are Democratic nominee Brenda Siegel and incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott, according to an Aug. 9 article from VTDigger. 

“Even if I lose—let’s have higher expectations for Vermont – because what we have now is not working,” Yin stated on his website.