Currently registered voters:    If you are already registered to vote in your current Vermont town of residence, look at our town clerk's guide, Vermont Town Clerks, Treasurers and County Clerks, for contact information to receive an absentee ballot.

You may request an early or absentee ballot by telephone, fax, e-mail, or in writing.  However, under Vermont law ballot(s) must be physically received by the town clerk sealed in inside the Absentee Certificate envelope (with the voter’s original signature).  In extreme cases, the ballot (along with the Certificate) may be faxed to the voter; however, the overseas and military voters must make arrangements to ensure that the ballot is physically delivered to the town clerk by the close of the polls on election day.  (This may include using an overnight delivery service.)  You can download the Vermont form to request absentee ballot(s) from our voters webpage.

Absentee ballots for statewide elections (September Primary, November General Election and Presidential Primary) are available 30 days prior to the election.  (Ballots for local elections – town meeting elections by Australian ballot – are available 20 days prior to the election.)  You can, however, request ballots at any point during the year leading up to the election.  We strongly recommend requesting an early or absentee ballot at least 30 days prior to the election. 

A single request may be made for absentee ballots for the Primary and General Elections, as long as the “mail to” address is the same for both elections.  (Please note that separate requests must be made for annual and special meetings and the Presidential Preference Primary held every 4 years in March.)

The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) from the Federal Voting Assistance Program will be considered a request for ballots for both the Primary and General Elections.

REGISTERING TO VOTE IN VERMONT

While the Elections Division will forward applications (and early or absentee ballot requests) to the appropriate town clerk(s) for action, we recommend sending applications directly to your town clerk.  Vermont Town Clerks, Treasurers and County Clerks

The DEADLINE for registering to vote is 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the election.  If that date falls on a legal holiday, then the deadline is extended to 5:00 p.m. the Thursday preceding the election.  17 V.S.A. § 2144   For the 2010 election, the deadlines are:

• September 8 for the Primary Election held on September 14, 2010
• October 27 for the General Election held on November 2, 2010

Registering to vote for the first time in Vermont:    If you are registering for the first time in Vermont using the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s Federal Postcard Application or another form not specific to Vermont, you must take the Voter’s Oath.  The Vermont voter registration form and the FVAP instructions contain the voter’s oath that must be taken.  

If you have previouosly voted in Vermont, you do not need to take the voter's oath again. If not, the oath can be administered by a commissioned military officer or by any other person qualified to administer oaths, any person over the age of 18, or by yourself. You make also take the voter's oath as an affirmation. The person who administered the oath, or you, if you are attesting for yourself that you have taken the oath must date and sign the attestation in the box on the Vermont application. You must take the oath before voting by early or absentee ballot.

For more voting information for military and/or overseas voters, please visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at http://www.fvap.gov . 

First time registering BY MAIL:     

If you are registering to vote for the first time in Vermont by mail, you must include a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID.  Acceptable forms of ID are:

·       a valid photo ID (driver’s license or passport),

·       a copy of a current utility bill,

·       a copy of a current bank statement or

·       a copy of another government document. 

Your application must include the town and the legal address or a locational description of the last place you resided in Vermont immediately before joining the military or moving overseas.  If you did not reside in Vermont immediately before joining the military or moving overseas you CANNOT register to vote in Vermont.  YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE STATE AND COUNTY OR TOWN IN WHICH YOU RESIDED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE JOINING THE MILITARY OR MOVING OVERSEAS. 

FAQs

How long can I remain on the checklist in Vermont?  A voter who has moved from a Vermont town directly to a location that is outside of the United States or who entered the military service directly from living in a Vermont town is entitled to stay on or be added to the voter checklist in the last place of residence in Vermont.  If a person moves from Vermont to another residence in another state before moving overseas or joining the military, that person must register to vote in the last place of residence.

Can the spouse or dependent child of a person serving in the armed forces register to vote in Vermont? If the member of the armed forces resided in Vermont immediately before joining the military, then that person's spouse and/or dependents can also register or remain registered in Vermont. 17 V.S.A. §2103(20)

Are individuals removed from the checklist after a set period of time?  Per the purging process set up by federal law, voters who do not vote in two elections (held every two years) AND do not respond to a notice sent by the local board of civil authority via first class mail may be removed from the checklist.  However, 17 V.S.A § 2147 provides that a voter removed from the checklist in error can be added back to the checklist.  Once a voter has registered in Vermont, there is no need to re-take the Voter’s Oath, but the registrant will need to indicate where he or she was registered in Vermont previously. 

Is there a specific provision in VT law that allows US citizens who never lived in the US to vote in VT if one of their US parents last resided in the state?  NO, nor is there any provision that specifically prohibits this.

Can I vote using the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) in Vermont?  Federal law states that the FWAB can be used ONLY if the voter has applied for an absentee ballot 30 days before the general election and has not received the absentee ballot.  In addition, members of the military must be absent from their voting residence.  All other voters must be residing outside the United States.

If I live in Vermont, but my son or daughter resides overseas, can they register to vote in Vermont?  If a person turns eighteen while residing outside the United States or if a person turns eighteen before leaving the United States BUT never registered to vote, then the person can register to vote in Vermont.

If you have additional questions that have not been addressed above, please contact (David Crossman).