Register to Vote: The deadline to register to vote is 12:00 Noon on the second Monday before any election. If the second Monday falls on a holiday the deadline will be extended to the following day, Tuesday. If you would like to register to vote you may come into the Town Clerk’s office during regular hours Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Thursday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and on Friday the secretary at the front desk can help you with an application to the check list. If you are a first time voter and you mail your application to me and I do not know you, you will need to bring a form of identification with you, preferably a picture ID. (I will have to make a copy of your ID to keep on file.) Early or Absentee Ballots: You or a family member on your behalf, may request an early or absentee ballot from your Town Clerk by telephone or mail at any time up until 4:00 P.M. or the closing of the Town Clerk’s office on the day before any election. An authorized person can apply for you to get a ballot only in person or in writing. You can also go to the Town Clerk’s office and vote your ballot while at the office. Or, you can pick up your ballot, only your ballot, at the Town Clerk’s office and take it home to vote. (You cannot pick up a ballot for your spouse or anyone else.) If you take your ballot or have a ballot sent to you, you must return the ballot to the Town Clerk’s office or to the polling place not later that 7:00 P.M. on the day of election. If you are ill or disabled, you can request that a pair of Justices of the Peace deliver a ballot to you. You can request assistance in reading or marking your ballot from the justices. They must return the ballot to the Town Clerk for you. On Election Day:
- If your name was dropped from the checklist in error, explain the situation to your Town Clerk and ask that it be put back on.
- If the problem isn’t cleared up to your satisfaction, have the Town Clerk, a selectman or other member of the Board of Civil Authority call an immediate meeting of the members of the board who are present at the polls. They should investigate the problem and clear it up.
- If you are still not satisfied, you may take a brief written request to a Superior Court judge, who will rule on your request before the polls close that day. Call the Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-VOTE for more information.
- If you have physical disabilities, are visually impaired or can’t read, you may bring the person of your choice to assist you or you can request assistance from two election officials.
- If you cannot get from the car into the polling place, two election officials may bring a ballot to your car.
The Following Are Prohibited by Law:
- Do Not knowingly vote more that once, either in the same town or in different towns.
- Do Not mislead the Board of Civil Authority about your own or another person’s eligibility to vote. You can only register to vote and remain on the checklist in the town of your principal dwelling place.
- Do Not display any campaign literature, stickers, buttons, etc. within the building containing a polling place. However, a voter may bring in a small card or paper into the polling place for his or her own use in remembering candidates so long as it is not publicly displayed.
- Do Not solicit votes or otherwise campaign within the building containing a polling place.
- Do Not interfere with the progress of a voter going to and from the polling place. This includes not socializing in a manner that will disturb other voters.
Flo-Ann Dango
Town Clerk
General
Information about Voter Registration and Voter Checklists in Vermont Voter Registration
If you want to register to vote in Vermont or
to change the town in Vermont in which you are registered to vote, Download
the Vermont Voter Application. Instructions are provided with the
form.
In
Vermont, there are four requirements to become a legally qualified voter.
You must be :
1. A United States Citizen. You must have either been born a United
States Citizen or have become a citizen through the naturalization process
in order to register to vote in Vermont. You cannot register to vote
with a "green card" or any other visa.
2. A resident of Vermont. You must register in the town where your principal
dwelling place is located. This is not your mailing address, but is
the town or city in which your principal dwelling is physically located.
(If you reside in a gore or unorganized town, you may register to vote
in the primary and general elections in a neighboring town that is within
the same representative district and probate district. -- see 17 V.S.A.
§ 2123. You will not be allowed to vote in their town or school
district elections.)
3. Eighteen years old, or will be 18 by election day.
4. Taken the voter's oath, or will take the oath on or before election
day. (If
you have not voted before in Vermont, you must take the voter's oath
and have a notary public, justice of the peace, or board of civil authority
member administer and witness the oath. The oath simply states that
you will vote your conscience and not be directed by another.) After
you complete your application to the checklist swearing or affirming
that you meet the four requirements above, the local board of civil
authority, or town clerks in towns that have authorized the town clerk
by vote at town meeting, will review your application and make a decision
to add you to the checklist or to deny your application. You will be
informed of the decision, and if denied, you can appeal to a court in
your county. If you are denied, you can also call our office and we
can review the legal requirements and process with you. There
is NO PARTY REGISTRATION in Vermont. Names are added to the checklist
alphabetically with addresses but with no party affiliation noted.
Voter checklists in Vermont
Each town or city in Vermont prepares a "checklist" of voters
who are registered to vote within the town or city. The checklist contains
the names and addresses of each resident who has been found to be a
legally qualified voter in the town or city. Checklists in Vermont do
not contain any political party information because there is no party
registration in Vermont.
There is no statewide voter file in Vermont. The Office of the Secretary
of State does not have any specific voter checklist with names and addresses.
If you are interested in obtaining voter checklists in Vermont, you
must contact the town or city clerk for each municipality. You can view
The Guide to Town and City Clerks on our website or we can mail you
a paper copy. Checklists are public records in Vermont. The custodian
of the list can charge either 4 cents per page one-sided, 6 cents double-sided,
or 88 cents for a disk.
Where
to File: If you meet the above qualifications, complete the application
form and submit the form to the Town or City Clerk in the town or city
in which you reside. The Clerk will present your application to the
municipal Board of Civil Authority. If the municipal Board of Civil
Authority approves your application, you will be added to the checklist,
and be a registered voter in that town. Town and City Clerk addresses
are on the Vermont Secretary of State's www.sec.state.vt.us web site,
or you can call us at (802) 828-2464.
When to File: The application can be submitted at any time, but must
be received by 12:00 noon on the second Saturday before the day of an
election in order to vote in that election. Town and city clerks offices
are open from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on this Saturday. If you apply
through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or another voter registration
agency, your application must be postmarked or accepted before the second
Saturday before the election.
Getting on the Voter Checklist: You are not automatically registered
to vote by filing this application. The Clerk will present your application
to the municipal Board of Civil Authority. If the Board of Civil Authority
finds that you meet the eligibility requirements you will be added to
the checklist and become a registered voter. The Board of Civil Authority
will notify you in writing whether or not they have approved your application.
If you have not received notification by the week of the election, call
your town clerk. If the Board finds that you are not eligible, the Board
must state the reason in writing and give you a chance to be reconsidered.
If you are still denied by the Board, you can appeal to a superior or
district judge in your county through an informal process (No filing
fee or lawyer is required).
Voter's Oath: If you have previously voted in Vermont, you do not need
to take the voter's oath again. If not, take the oath in front of a
person authorized to administer oaths. (Any notary public, town clerk,
justice of the peace, or person authorized to administer oaths in Vermont.)
If you do not take oaths, you may take it as an affirmation. Be sure
the official completes the certification. If the filing deadline is
close, you can file your application without taking the oath, and take
the oath at the polling place on election day. However, if you intend
to request an absentee ballot, you must take the oath before requesting
the absentee ballot.
NOTE:
The Application for Addition to the Checklist may be viewed online or
by downloading the file. HOW TO FILL OUT THE "APPLICATION FOR ADDITION
TO THE CHECKLIST"
(The "Application for Addition to the Checklist" is the official
voter registration form in Vermont.)Please Print or Type Clearly and
Do Not Leave Blanks.
Please refer to the following as you complete your form.
RESIDENT
Vermont election law defines a resident as "a person who is domiciled
in the town as evidenced by an intent to maintain a principal dwelling
place in the town indefinitely and to return there if temporarily absent,
coupled with an act or acts consistent with that intent." 17 V.S.A.
§ 2122(b). It is your intent and action that determines residency,
not how long you have resided in a town. If you maintain two dwelling
places, the "principal" dwelling place is the place that you
intend to be your principal dwelling place. However, you can register
and vote in only one town, and it is unlawful to attempt to vote in
more than one town in an election.
PRINCIPAL DWELLING PLACE
This description must allow the Board of Civil Authority to determine
which town and voting district you reside in. Include the number, street
name, and apartment number, if any. If it is a dormitory address, include
dorm and room number, not a box number.
MAILING ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER
This is the address where the town clerks will send notification that
you have been added to the checklist after the Board of Civil Authority
has met. The town clerk will call you if there is a need to clarify
any information on the application.
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH (You must include both.)
If you are not yet 18 years old, but will become 18 years old after
the deadline for registration, but before the next election, the application
can be completed and submitted to the Town Clerk without the taking
of the oath. (You must be 18 years old to take an oath.) This application
will serve as a written notice of intent to apply before the deadline
for registration. You must take the oath after your birthday at the
Town Clerks office, in front of a notary, or at the polls on election
day.
LAST ADDRESS AT WHICH REGISTERED AND NAME OF FORMER REGISTRATION, IF
DIFFERENT
Complete the last voting address as fully as possible. If you have never
registered to vote before, write "NONE".
If you were last registered under a different name, you must provide
this information, otherwise write "SAME".
TAKING THE VOTER'S OATH
If you have already taken the oath in Vermont, check that box and do
not take the oath again. If you are registering to vote in Vermont for
the first time, you must take the Voter's Oath. The Voter's Oath may
be administered within the state by any person authorized to administer
oaths, including members of a board of civil authority, and town clerks.
If you submit your application before you take the voter's oath, you
must take the oath at the Town Clerks office or at the polls on Election
Day before you vote. (In foreign countries, authorized U.S. military
personnel and persons authorized by that county may administer.)
The oath simply says that you will vote your conscience and not let
anyone tell you how to vote. The person administering the oath will
ask you to raise your right hand, then recite or read the oath and ask
you to say, "I do." If you do not take oaths, you may take
it as an affirmation. Be sure the official completes the certification
in the "For Official Use" box, signs it, and fills in the
name of the county or town where he/she serves as clerk, notary, or
justice.
The oath is unique to Vermont. It was originally required in the 1777
Vermont Constitution. It was known as the "Freeman's Oath"
until the Inclusive Language Revision Amendment of 1994, when it became
the "Voter's Oath". It has been held constitutional by Vermont
courts.
APPLICANT'S COPY
Keep a copy of your application and bring the application to the polls
with you, unless you receive confirmation that your name has been added
to the checklist. Boards of Civil Authority are required to meet between
the deadline to register and every election. If you have not received
confirmation of addition to the checklist by the week before the election,
call the town or city clerk's office. When the checklist is posted before
the next election at the town clerk's office and at least two other
public places, make sure your name is on it. If not, contact your clerk
immediately.
AFTER THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN FILLED OUT
Vermont law is very clear that it is the applicant's responsibility
to deliver the completed application to the town or city clerk and to
follow up to make sure that the Board of Civil Authority has added your
name to the checklist. If your name is not on the checklist, you may
have to go to court to establish your eligibility to vote.
VOTERS CONTINUING RESPONSIBILITIES
If your name or address should change please notify your town or city
clerk immediately, as it is your responsibility to keep your name and
address current.
SERIOUS PENALTIES FOR FALSE INFORMATION ON AN APPLICATION TO THE CHECKLIST
It is unlawful to give false information concerning your qualifications
to be a registered voter of a town or city in Vermont. The penalties
are serious, including penalties of up to a $10,000 fine or imprisonment
for not more than fifteen years, or both.
You may want to vote in the town in which you grew up, or where you
lived for a long time. You may want to vote in the town where you have
purchased land in Vermont, and plan to move to that town in the future.
However, unless your principal dwelling place is currently in the town,
you cannot apply to be added to the checklist of that town. Likewise,
you cannot remain on a checklist in a town when you have moved to a
principal dwelling place in another town or city. You can only register
to vote in your current town of residence. It is perjury to give false
information about your town of residence on the application to the checklist.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are serving in the military, attending an educational
institution, in a nursing home or health care facility, in prison, or
living abroad, the Vermont statutes allow you to keep your residency
for voting purposes and remain on the checklist in the town in which
you resided. If you are in the military, once you leave the service
or return to the United States, you may establish a new residency for
voting purposes. However, you cannot apply to be added to the checklist
in a different town in Vermont until you physically return and establish
your principal dwelling place in a different town.
If you have questions, please call your town or city clerk. If you are
uncertain which clerk to call, you may call the Elections Division,
Office of the Secretary of State at 1-800-439-8683, email us at (mjacobs@sec.state.vt.us)
or write to the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State,
26 Terrace Street, Montpelier, VT 05609-1101.
Vermont's
Early or Absentee Voting Process Eligibility
-
You are eligible to obtain an early or absentee voter ballot for an
upcoming election if you are registered to vote in the town where
you live. Vermont law no longer requires a reason to vote by absentee
ballot.
-
If you are temporarily residing in a foreign country, in a military
service or residing in a state institution and you are eligible to
register to vote in this state, you may apply for early voter absentee
ballots.
-
Voting by early voter absentee ballot shall be allowed only in elections
using the Australian ballot system. You cannot vote early in a local
election using a traditional town meeting.
-
You can vote 30 days before a primary or general election.
-
You can vote 20 days before a local election using the Australian
ballot system.
Application Process
- You,
or an authorized family member or health care provider acting on your
behalf, may apply for an early voter absentee ballot by telephone, in
person, or in writing. 'Family member' here means a person's spouse,
children, brothers, sisters, parents, spouse's parents, grandparents,
and spouse's grandparents.
- Any
other authorized person may apply in writing or in person.
- The
application shall be in substantially the following form: (click
to download a request form)
REQUEST FOR EARLY VOTER ABSENTEE BALLOT
Name
of early or absentee voter: _______________________________________________
Current address: ___________________________________________________________
Residence (if different): ______________________________________________________
If applicant is other than early or absentee voter:
Name of applicant: _________________________________________________________
Address of applicant: _______________________________________________________
Relationship to early or absentee voter: __________________________________________
Date: __________________ Signature: ________________________________________
-
If the application is made by telephone or in writing, the information
supplied must substantially conform to the information requested as
shown above.
-
All
early or absentee ballot requests must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. or
the close of the Town Clerk's office on the day before the election.
-
All
early voter absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk's
office before the close of the office on the day before the election
OR to the polling place before 7:00 pm on the day of the election.
-
An
application for an early voter absentee ballot shall be valid for
only one election, unless specific request is made by an early or
absentee voter that the application be valid for both the September
primary election and the November general election as long as both
ballots are to be mailed to the same address.
-
If
you are eligible to register to vote in this state you may make a
simultaneous request for an application for addition to the checklist
and for an early voter absentee ballot as long as they are received
by the town clerk not later than 17 days before the election. The
town clerk shall mail a blank application for addition to the checklist,
together with a full set of early voter absentee ballots, to the person
who has applied for early voter absentee ballots. All such applications
for addition to the checklist which are returned to the town clerk
before the close of the polls on election day shall be considered
and acted upon by the board of civil authority before the ballots
are counted. If the application is approved and the name added to
the checklist, the early voter absentee ballots cast by that voter
shall be treated as other valid early voter absentee ballots.
-
If
you are ill or physically disabled, you may also request that the
ballots be delivered to you by justices of the peace. This requests
needs to be made at least three days prior to the day of the election
so that the Board of Civil Authority can have time to designate a
pair of justices to deliver the ballots.
-
If
you lose your ballots or if it is not received within a reasonable
time after your request, you may apply to the Town Clerk for a duplicate
ballot. The application must be accompanied by a sworn statement affirming
that you have not received the original ballot or that the ballot
was lost. If a duplicate early voter absentee ballot is issued and
both the duplicate and original early voter absentee ballots are received
before the close of polls on election day; the ballot with the earlier
postmark or received first shall be counted.
List of early or absentee voters
-
The town clerk must make a list of the early or absentee voters. The
list shall include each voter's name and address. A copy of the list,
or the file of applications if the list has not been made, must be
available upon request at the town clerk's office prior to the election.
On election day the list must be available in each polling place in
the town.
Issuance of Absentee Ballots
-
If you request that ballots be mailed to you, the town clerk shall
mail a complete set of early voter absentee ballots to you. The early
voter absentee ballots shall be mailed forthwith upon the filing of
a valid application, or upon the town clerk's receipt of the necessary
ballots, whichever is later. Early voter absentee ballots to persons
having addresses outside the 50 states and the District of Columbia
shall be sent air mail, first class, postpaid when such service is
available.
-
You
may also apply in person to the town clerk for the early voter absentee
ballots and envelopes rather than having them mailed. You may mark
your ballots, seal them in the envelope, sign the certificate, and
return the ballots in the sealed envelope to the town clerk or an
assistant town clerk at that time. Or you may take the ballots and
return them to the town clerk in the same manner as if the ballots
had been received by mail. No person, except justices of the peace,
may take any ballot from the town clerk on behalf of any other person.
-
If
you are ill or physically disabled, ballots shall be delivered by
two Justices of the Peace unless the early or absentee voter has requested
that the early voter absentee ballots be mailed. Not later than three
days prior to the election, the board of civil authority shall designate
in pairs justices of the pearce in numbers sufficient to deliver early
voter absentee ballots to the early voters. No pair shall consist
of two justices from the same political party. If there shall not
be available a sufficient number of justices to make up the required
number of pairs, a member of each remaining pair shall be designated
by the board, to be selected from lists of registered voters submitted
by the chairs of the town committees of political parties, and from
among registered voters who in written application to the board state
that they are not affiliated with any political party. No candidate
or spouse, parent, or child of a candidate, shall be eligible to perform
the duties unless the candidate involved is not disqualified from
serving as an election official.
Instructions to be sent with ballots
The envelope contains instructions for you:
"INSTRUCTIONS
FOR EARLY OR ABSENTEE VOTERS
1. Mark the ballots.
2. Seal them in this envelope.
3. Fill out and sign the certificate on the envelope.
4. Mail or deliver the sealed envelope containing the ballots to the
town clerk of the town where you are a registered voter in time to arrive
no later than election day.
Note: If these ballots have been brought to you personally by two justices
of the peace because of your illness or physical disability, just return
them to the justices after you have sealed and signed the envelope.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MARK YOUR BALLOTS IN PRIVATE - but if you ask
for help in filling out the ballots, the justices will help you.
BE SURE TO FILL OUT AND SIGN THE CERTIFICATE ON THIS ENVELOPE OR YOUR
VOTE WILL NOT COUNT!
Note: In the case of early or absentee voting in a primary, the envelope
instructions will also include appropriate instructions for separating
the ballots and depositing the unvoted ballot(s) in a separate envelope
provided and clearly marked "Unvoted Ballots."
Marking of ballots
-
You must mark the ballots in accordance with the instructions.
-
If
you are ill or physically disabled, you may ask one of the officers
who delivers the ballots, in the presence of the other officer, to
mark your ballot for you. A person who gives assistance to a voter
in the marking or registering of ballots shall not in any way divulge
any information regarding the choice of the voter or the manner in
which the voter's ballot was cast.
-
If
you spoil your ballot, you may return the spoiled ballot by mail or
in person to the town clerk and receive another ballot, consistent
with the provisions of the law for persons voting at the polling place.
(You may receive up to 3 ballots if you spoil two ballots.)
Signing Certificate
You
must complete and sign the certificate on the ballot return envelope.
Early
Voter Absentee Ballots of ________________________________
(print your name)
I, _____________________________________, solemnly swear or affirm that
I am a resident of the town(city) of _________________________________,
State of Vermont, and that I am a legal voter in this town(city).
___________________________
(your signature)
You
must sign the certificate on the outside of the envelope in order for
the ballot to be valid. If you are physically unable to sign your name,
you may mark an "X" swearing to the statement on the certificate.
The officers who deliver the ballots shall witness the mark and sign
their names with a statement attesting to this fact on the envelope.
Return of ballots
-
Early
or absentee voter ballots must be returned to the clerk or polling
place by 7:00 p.m. on election day. The ballots may be returned by
mail or in person, unless the ballots were delivered by justices of
the peace who would then return them to the town clerk.
-
The
town clerk shall record receipt of your ballot(s) on the list of early
or absentee voters. The envelopes containing the early or absentee
voter ballots will then be stored in a secure place until election
day.
-
Once
an early voter absentee ballot has been returned to the clerk in the
sealed envelope with the signed certificate, it shall be stored in
a secure place and shall not be returned to the voter for any reason.
-
During
the hours that the polls are open, the town clerk shall deliver the
envelopes to the presiding officer in the polling place where the
early or absentee voter would have voted if he had voted in person.
-
Upon
receipt of the early or absentee voter's ballots, the election officials
shall examine the checklist and ascertain that the early or absentee
voter is qualified to vote, that he has not already voted in person
and that the certificate on the envelope containing the ballots is
properly filled out. When the election officials are satisfied that
the early or absentee voter is legally qualified to vote, has not
already voted in person and that the certificate is properly filled
out, they shall open the envelope containing the ballots, and without
unfolding the ballots or permitting the same to be opened or examined,
shall have the proper election official place a mark upon the entrance
checklist indicating the fact that that voter has voted by means of
an early voter absentee ballot, and shall deposit the ballots in the
proper ballot boxes. Such early voter absentee ballots shall be commingled
with the ballots of voters who have voted in person, and thereafter
treated as those ballots are treated. If the town uses an exit checklist,
the election officials shall have the exit checklist also marked.
-
If
upon examination by the election officials it shall appear that the
early or absentee voter is not legally qualified to vote, or has voted
in person, or that the affidavit on any envelope is insufficient,
the certificate is not signed, or the voted ballot is not in the voted
ballot envelope, or, in the case of a primary vote, the early or absentee
voter has failed to return the unvoted poritions of the primary ballots,
the envelope shall be marked "defective," the ballots inside
shall not be counted, and shall be returned in the unopened envelope
to the town clerk.
If you want to vote in person after you received absentee ballots
-
Prior
to the opening of the polls, the municipal clerk shall provide the
election officials of each polling place with a list of the names
of all persons who have marked and returned early voter absentee ballots,
and these persons shall not thereafter vote in person in the same
election.
-
If
you in good faith received early voter absentee ballots but have not
yet marked them, and you decide you want to vote in person, you may
return the complete set of unmarked ballots, together with the envelope
intended for their return, to the presiding officer at the polling
place and then vote in person. You must return all of the voting materials
you received or you will not be allowed to vote in person. The presiding
officer shall return the unused early voter absentee ballots and envelope
to the town clerk, who shall make a record of their return on the
list of early or absentee voters and treat them as spoiled or unused
ballots.
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