Vermont

The deadline to cure (correct) your absentee/mail ballot is 7 p.m. on November 5, 2024. If your ballot is found incomplete or incorrect, the registrar will attempt to notify you of the error and how you can correct the issue. We recommend that you track the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool before Election Day to make sure it has been received and accepted. If you voted a provisional ballot, election officials will do the research to determine if you are an eligible voter after the close of the polls. Questioned ballots are either counted or rejected by November 7, 2024. 

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

You can only use the dropbox of the city or town you vote from.  A spreadsheet listing each town, whether it has a dropbox, and dropbox locations is downloadable at the Secretary of State site. You can also drop off your ballot at your assigned polling location on election day. 

Early voting is also available with no excuse required. You may vote at your town clerk's office in person during the hours the office is open to the public, within 45 days before a primary or general election or 20 days before a municipal election.  Due to the pandemic, Some Vermont town offices are closed to the public or have limited hours to protect health and safety, and most have a secure ballot drop box available whether or not the office is open.  Please contact your town clerk.

The next election dates can be found here https://www.vote411.org/vermont.

Contact your local Board of Elections for more information.

To be eligible to vote you must be:

• A U.S. citizen
• A resident of Vermont
• A person who has taken the Voter's Oath (formerly called the Freeman's Oath)
• 18 years of age or older on or before Election Day (17-year-olds may pre-register)

Youth Vote

A bill recently passed by the Vermont Legislature lowers the voting age to 16 for Brattleboro's local elections. This means that every resident of Brattleboro, VT, who will be 16 years of age or older on Election Day is eligible to register and vote in local elections. You must be 18 by Election Day to vote in state or federal elections.

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In Vermont, those with criminal records never lose the right to vote. If you are incarcerated, regardless of the offense, you are able to vote.  

You should register to vote in the town or city where you resided before incarceration. 

Voters without traditional residence: 

If you don't have a permanent home or are experiencing homelessness, you still have the right to register to vote. You can register in the town where you currently stay and, if applicable, in the specific district within that town. It doesn't matter if you don't have a traditional address like owning or renting a home. The same rules for residency apply to unhoused individuals as they do to people who own or rent their homes. 

If you are registering for the first time by mail or online, you must include a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID.

These include a:

• Valid photo ID (driver's license or passport)
• Copy of a current utility bill
• Copy of a current bank statement
• Copy of another government document

You must also include your driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number on the application in order for it to be approved.

If you are registering for the first time in Vermont you must take the Voter's Oath. The Vermont voter registration form contains the voter's oath that must be taken.

First-time voters that registered by mail and did not provide verification are required to show identification at the polls.

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.

Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted 2 days after the election.

For Presidential elections, local results will be certified no later than 48 hours after Election Day.

Official election results will be uploaded on Vermont’s Secretary of State website, no later than 1 week after Election Day.

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!

In order to be a poll worker in Vermont, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Vermont
• Be entitled to compensation
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Political affiliation considered
• Be a resident of the voting district
• Complete required training
• Students who are 16 and 17 years old may be appointed as assistant elections officers

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

All polls are open from between 5am and 10am and close at 7pm.

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Vermont is an “open primary” state. You can choose the party’s ballot you wish to vote. This decision does not register you with that party and it is a private decision.

In a primary election if candidates tie there will be a primary runoff election scheduled for a few weeks after the primary election date. The runoff election will have the top two candidates with the most votes to ensure that one of them receives the majority of the voters.

If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

A provisional ballot is only used if a person trying to vote at the polling place is not on the checklist and cannot affirm they registered to vote by the deadline.

Provisional ballots are counted 2 days after the election.

Voters with disabilities are able to vote, at their polling locations, using accessible voting technology. Voters will access a tablet-based system that marks your selection onto the same paper ballot used by all voters at the polls. This system also contains an online-based ballot marking system that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently from home during the early voting period.

If you need help with voting, you can:

• Contact your Town Clerk to ask for accomodations
• Bring a person of your choice with you into the voting booth (not your employer or union representative)
• Ask an election official for help with marking your ballot
• Ask an election official to bring a ballot to your car
• Bring a magnifying glass or other devices to help you use the ballot
• Bring a list of candidates into the voting book with you
• Ask for another ballot (maximum of 3) if you make a mistake
• Use the Omniballot tablet accessible voting system at the polls.

For more information contact your Secretary of State.

Election Day registration is available at the polls. If you would like to register to vote by mail or online, there is no specific deadline. However, it is recommended you submit your application between 2-4 weeks before an election to ensure your application is processed before the election.

Not registered? Use our registration tool to fill out your application!

Time off to vote is subject to the employer, there is no requirement for employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

To verify your voter registration status

The voting systems used in Vermont are optical scan, paper ballots and vote by phone.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Paper Ballots: Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day. When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker. You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices. You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box.

Omniballot Tablet Accessible Voting System: Voters with disabilities are able to vote, at their polling locations, using accessible voting technology. Voters will access a tablet-based system that marks your selection onto the same paper ballot used by all voters at the polls. This system also contains an online-based ballot marking system that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently from home during the early voting period.