In a divided America where politics seems increasingly to get people's goat, a small town in Vermont has taken the concept to heart - this week electing one as mayor. He may be a political novice but the goat's name, Lincoln, brings with it a storied pedigree.

And the leading human official in Fair Haven - population about 2,500 - hopes the long-eared, three-year-old animal's election can serve as a bit of a lesson in democracy.