Title 17, Elections

§ 2457. Workshops and information for election officials (a) The Secretary of State or his or her designee shall organize regional workshops for election officials, provide them with informational materials about the conduct of elections and recounts, and otherwise help them run …

§ 2458. Complaint procedure (a) The Secretary of State shall adopt rules to establish a uniform and nondiscriminatory complaint procedure to be used by any person who believes that a violation of this title or any other provision of 52 U.S.C. chapter 209, subchapter III (Uniform …

§ 2471. General election ballot (a)(1) A consolidated ballot shall be used at a general election, which shall list the several candidates for the offices to be voted upon. The offices of President and Vice President of the United States, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governo…

§ 2472. Contents (a) The ballot shall be titled “OFFICIAL VERMONT GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT,” followed by the date of the election. Immediately below, the following instructions shall be printed: “Instruction to Voters: To vote for a candidate whose name is printed on the ballot, f…

§ 2473. Provisions relative to presidential election (a) When the President and Vice President are to be elected, the ballot shall contain the names of all candidates for these offices, arranged in alphabetical order according to the surname of the presidential candidate of each …

§ 2474. Choice of party (a)(1) A person nominated by any means for the same office by more than one political party may elect, not later than 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day following the primary election, the party or parties in which the nominee will be a candidate. The nominee shal…

§ 2475. Death or withdrawal of candidate When a candidate dies or withdraws and the vacancy is filled as provided in chapter 49 of this title, the name supplied for the vacancy shall be inserted instead of the original nomination. If the ballots have already been printed, the off…

§ 2478. Number of paper ballots to be printed and furnished (a) For primary elections, the Secretary of State shall furnish each town with a sufficient number of printed ballots based on the history of voter turnout in the town and in consultation with the town clerk. (b) For gen…

§ 2479. Manner of distribution Not later than 45 days before the election, the Secretary of State shall furnish the prepared ballots to the clerk of each town. Ballots shall be sent in securely fastened packages by mail or in some other safe manner, with marks on the outside clea…

§ 2480. Substitute ballots If the ballots to be furnished to a polling place are not duly delivered or if, after delivery, they are destroyed or stolen or if the number proves insufficient, the presiding officer shall cause other ballots to be prepared substantially in the form o…

§ 2481. Printed ballots required Except in the case of voice votes from the floor, divisions, or voting at a floor meeting by paper ballot at a local election, no voting shall occur in any local, primary, or general election that does not use printed ballots. (Added 2013, No. 161…

§ 2491. Political subdivision; vote tabulators (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a board of civil authority may, at a meeting held not less than 60 days prior to an election and warned pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 801, vote to require the political subdivision …

§ 2493. Rules for use of vote tabulators; audits (a) The Secretary of State shall adopt rules governing the use and the selection of any vote tabulator in the State. These rules shall include requirements that: (1) All municipalities that have voted to use a vote tabulator shall …

§ 2494. Construction with other laws (a) Except as this subchapter affects the method of registering votes and ascertaining the result, the laws of this State pertaining to elections shall be applicable. The laws pertaining to early or absentee voters shall in no way be affected …

§ 2499. Transfer of paper ballots from vote tabulators The presiding officer, with the assistance of at least two election officials, may transfer voted ballots from the box attached to the vote tabulator to another secure ballot box or secured ballot bag whenever necessary durin…

§ 2501. Determining districts (a) The board of civil authority shall designate one or more polling places within a town; however, the voters at a regular or special meeting warned for that purpose may designate different polling places. If the questions and candidates to be voted…

§ 2502. Location of polling places; outdoor polling places (a) Location. Each polling place shall be located in a public place within the town. (b) Outdoor polling places. A polling place may be located outdoors if it can be operated in a manner consistent with the provisions of …

§ 2504. Voting booths At each polling place, there shall be a sufficient number, as determined by the board of civil authority, of voting booths. Each booth shall be of sturdy construction and shall allow a voter to mark his or her ballot conveniently without having his or her ch…

§ 2505. Guardrail A guardrail shall be so constructed that only persons inside the rail can approach within six feet of the ballot boxes and voting booths. Neither the ballot boxes nor the voting booths shall be hidden from those outside the guardrail. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. …

§ 2506. Ballot boxes; signs for depositing ballots All ballot boxes shall be rigid wood or metal containers. Ballot boxes shall be furnished at the expense of the town where they are to be used. When not in use, ballot boxes shall be in the custody of the town clerk. During votin…

§ 2507. Distribution of checklists The town clerk shall furnish the presiding officer of each polling place with two certified copies of the checklist applicable to that polling place. One copy shall be used to check voters before they enter within the guardrail, and, unless the …

§ 2508. Campaigning during polling hours; voter access (a)(1) The presiding officer shall ensure during polling hours on the day of the election that: (A) within the building containing a polling place, no campaign literature, stickers, buttons, name stamps, information on write-…

§ 2510. Polling places; firearms prohibited (a)(1) A person shall not knowingly possess a firearm at a polling place or on the walks leading to a building in which a polling place is located on an election day. (2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply …

§ 2521. Warnings and notices (a) Not less than 30 days before the election, the town clerk shall cause a warning and notice to be posted informing the voters of the town about the election. (1) The warning shall include the date and time of the election, location of the polling p…

§ 2522. Sample ballots (a) As soon as ballots are received by the town clerk, but not later than 20 days prior to any primary or general election or 10 days prior to any municipal election, the town clerk shall post sample ballots in at least two public places within the town and…

§ 2523. Posting at polling place on election day (a) Before the polls open on election day, the presiding officer shall post copies of the warning and notice and the sample ballots conspicuously in and about the polling place so that voters can reasonably be expected to see them …

§ 2531. Application for early voter absentee ballot (a) Deadline to file. (1)(A) A voter who expects to be an early or absentee voter, or an authorized person on behalf of such voter, may apply for an early voter absentee ballot until 5:00 p.m. or the closing of the town clerk’s …

§ 2532. Authorized applicants; application form; duplicates (a) Authorized applicants. (1) An early or absentee voter, or an authorized family member or health care provider acting in the voter’s behalf, may apply for an early voter absentee ballot by telephone, in person, or in …

§ 2532a. Mobile polling stations Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, the Secretary of State may authorize a town clerk to establish a mobile polling station at which two or more election officials who are not all members of the same political part…

§ 2533. Notification of invalid application If the town clerk finds an application for an early or absentee voter ballot that has been submitted to him or her to be invalid or incomplete, he or she shall immediately notify the person making the application, either personally or b…

§ 2534. List of early or absentee voters (a) The Secretary of State shall make accessible for each primary election, presidential primary election, and general election a statewide list of voters who have requested an early voter absentee ballot. The list shall contain the State …

§ 2535. Form of early voter absentee ballots and envelopes; federal or military requirements (a) Early voter absentee ballots shall be the same as the official ballots to be used at the election. (b) If necessary, special ballots may be prepared to conform with minimum federal or…

§ 2536. Furnishing early voter absentee ballot envelopes Upon request, for any statewide primary, presidential primary, or general election, the Secretary of State shall furnish the envelopes prescribed in sections 2535 and 2542 of this title to town clerks in such numbers as the…

§ 2537. Early or absentee voting in the town clerk’s office (a)(1) A voter may, if he or she chooses, apply in person to the town clerk for the early voter absentee ballots and envelopes. (2) In this case, the clerk shall furnish the early voter absentee ballots and envelopes whe…

§ 2537a. Mailing of general election ballots (a) For every general election, the Secretary of State’s office shall mail a general election ballot to all active voters on the statewide voter checklist described in section 2154 of this title. (1) The mailing of the ballots shall co…

§ 2538. Delivery of ballots by justices of the peace (a)(1) In the case of persons who are early or absentee voters due to illness, injury, or disability, ballots shall be delivered in the following manner, unless the early or absentee voter has requested pursuant to section 2539…

§ 2539. Delivery of early voter absentee ballots (a) Default; town office or mail. (1) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, unless the early or absentee voter votes in the town clerk’s office as set forth in section 2537 of this title, the town clerk sha…

§ 2540. Instructions to be sent with ballots (a) The town clerk shall send with all early voter absentee ballots and envelopes printed instructions, which may be included on the envelope, in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State’s office. (b) [Repealed.] (Added 1977, No. 26…

§ 2541. Marking of ballots (a) An early or absentee voter to whom ballots, envelopes, and instructions are mailed shall mark the ballots in accordance with the instructions. (b) A person who gives assistance to a voter in the marking or registering of ballots shall not in any way…

§ 2542. Signing certificate (a) There shall be printed on the face of the envelope provided for use in returning early voter absentee ballots a certificate in substantially the following form: “Early or Absentee Voter Ballots of __________ ” (print your name) I, ___________ , sol…

§ 2543. Return of ballots (a) After marking the ballots and signing the certificate on the envelope, the early or absentee voter to whom the same are addressed shall return the ballots to the clerk of the town in which the voter is registered, in the manner prescribed, except tha…

§ 2543a. Provision of secure ballot drop boxes (a) A board of civil authority may vote to install one or more secure outdoor ballot drop boxes (drop boxes) for the return of voted ballots. (b) Drop boxes shall be located on municipal property. If a town has only one drop box, it …

§ 2546. Receipt of ballots by clerk; voter status; opportunity to cure; processing absentee ballots (a) Town clerk; process generally. Beginning 45 days before the opening of the polls on election day, upon receipt of a mailing envelope containing ballots returned by a voter, the…

§ 2546a. Deposit of early voter absentee ballots in vote tabulator (a) Generally. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the board of civil authority may vote to permit elections officials to deposit early voter absentee ballots that have been processed in accordan…

§ 2546b. Early voting in town clerk’s office; deposit into vote tabulator (a)(1) A board of civil authority may vote to permit its town’s registered early or absentee voters to vote in the town clerk’s office in the same manner as those voting on election day by marking their ear…

§ 2547. Defective ballots (a) If upon examination by the election officials it shall appear that any of the following defects is present, either the ballot or the unopened certificate envelope shall be marked “defective” and the ballot shall not be counted: (1) the identity of th…