Elections: Voters
Everything you need to know to vote in Vermont!
I am from out of state and I go to college in Vermont. Can I vote in Vermont?
Yes, any US citizen who is 18 year old who lives in Vermont can vote in Vermont
so long as the voter considers Vermont to be his or her primary residence.
I just moved to Vermont. Do I have to live here for awhile before I can vote
here? No. As soon as you
move to Vermont you can vote here – so long as Vermont is your primary residence
and so long as you register by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the date of the election.
Can I vote in Vermont even though I am at college or working out of state?
Yes. If you are living out of state
temporarily – for example, for college, military service, or for a job you can
continue to vote in Vermont where you were last living so long as you have a
specific intent to return. You can contact the town or city clerk and ask that
they send you an absentee ballot. The ballots can be sent to you as early as 45
days prior to an election.
How do I register to vote?
Visit our website
Register
to vote to find out how to
register to vote in Vermont and to
download a voter registration form.
Will I get a voter registration
card?
No. In Vermont we do not have voter registration cards. You will receive a
receipt or a copy of your voter registration form which you can keep to bring to
the polls with you on Election Day. However, even if you do not have your
registration receipt you will still be allowed to vote.
Is there a deadline for voter registration?
In order to vote in a particular election you must be registered to vote by 5:00
p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the date of the election.
I am in college in Vermont but want to vote a
ballot from my home state. How do I do this?
You should check with the Secretary of State or Elections Board in your home
state to find out how to register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot.
Most states have all of this information on line. Also, your college registrar
should have information for you on registering and voting in your home state.
How will I find out
where to vote on Election Day?
Call
the town or city clerk where you
live to find out where the polling place is in your community or visit our
elections website at
www.govotevermont.com..
Do I have to register in a party to vote in the primary election?
No. In Vermont there is no party
registration. Everyone can vote in the primary election – but you can only vote
on one ballot. You will be given four ballots – a Democrat, Liberty Union, Progressive and Republican
ballot. You mark one of the ballots and put the remaining three into
a discard bin. Which ballot you chose to vote is private (except during the
presidential primary where voters must publicly take one ballot or the other.)
How do I find
out about the candidates and the issues?
Most candidates for state wide and
national office have extensive websites. In October the Secretary of State’s
Office publishes a candidate information guide with statements from Vermont’s
Federal and Statewide candidates. This publication will be included in
newspapers around the state and will be available online at
www.govotevermont.com
Will my ballot
count if I only vote in a couple races?
Yes. There is no requirement that a
voter vote the whole ballot. Your vote will be counted in every race where you
marked a candidate.
Am I required to show
identification when I vote?
No. In Vermont only first time voters who have registered by mail
have to show ID in order to vote. If you registered when you renewed your
driver’s license, or as part of a voter registration drive you will not be
required to show ID.
What happens if I show up to vote and my name is not on the voter registration
list?
If for some reason your name is not on the voter registration list when you come
into vote you will be asked to sign a sworn statement indicating that you live
in the community and registered to vote within the required timeframe (by the
Wednesday preceding the date of the election), then your name will be added to the
checklist and you will be given a ballot to vote.
What
time do polling places open and close?
Polls open between 6 am and 10 am, depending up the town. All polling places
close at 7pm. You should
contact
your town clerk
to find out when your polling place opens.
Will there ever be
polling places on campuses?
It is up to the local Board of Civil Authority to decide where to put polling
places. A polling place must be in a public building in the town or city.
Perhaps with some lobbying from students and administration a city or town would
use one of the college buildings as a polling place.
Can I ask for help when I go to
vote?
If you need help voting you can bring
someone with you – or you can ask for assistance from the poll workers.
What happens if I make a
mistake when I vote?
If you make a mistake when you vote you can ask for a new ballot. They will
take your first ballot and mark it “spoiled” so it won’t be counted and they
will give you a new ballot to vote.
Can I
bring candidate information in with me when I go to vote?
Yes. Although the rule is that there is no politicking in the polling place
(you will be asked to remove candidate buttons or stickers) you can bring
anything you need to help you vote into the voting booth. You should be careful
to take any material out with you when you are done!
Do you have a question
about voting in Vermont that was not answered here?
Email us your question and we will get back to you.
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