MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Each March, Vermont residents take care of town business by voting on school budgets, discussing whether to buy a new firetruck or voicing their rancor on national issues.

It's a tradition in many New England towns.

This year, some Vermont towns are taking up whether to become sanctuary communities, in response to President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Residents of the small town of Calais (CAL-lis) are planning to vote whether to become a sanctuary town for refugees and asylum-seekers and not participate in federal efforts to deport workers living in the U.S. illegally.

East Montpelier, Plainfield and Hartland will consider similar proposals.

Some residents say it's their way to voice their opinions on national and local policies.

A Middlebury College professor says these meetings are the "veneer of true democracy."

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