How to Register, Vote and Track Your Ballot in Vermont

En español | Vermont offers both early voting and absentee voting without a reason. For general elections, the state automatically mails ballots to active registered voters.

The 2022 midterms decided races for governor, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and state House and Senate, among others. The next statewide election is in 2024.

Upcoming elections: Information about statewide elections is available at the Vermont Secretary of State’s website.

Absentee voting: All registered voters can vote absentee by mail during primaries and general elections. You’ll need to apply to do so for the primaries. Active registered voters will be mailed a ballot before a general election. 

Early in-person voting: You can vote early and in person at your town or city clerk’s office.

Voting at the polls: You aren’t required to show ID when you vote at the polls.

All active registered voters are mailed a ballot for the general election under a 2021 law. 

Also, a new redistricting plan has changed certain boundaries of Vermont’s state legislative districts.

• Online: Go to My Voter Page, the state’s online voter portal, to register. If you're a first-time voter, you must provide a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID, such as a driver’s license, U.S. passport, current utility bill or a government document that lists your residential address. You can register up to and on Election Day. But you are encouraged to register by the Friday before an election to ensure your name appears on the state’s voter checklist.  

• By mail: Print a registration form, complete it and mail it to your town or city clerk by the Friday before an election. Or call your clerk’s office to request that an application be mailed to you. If your form doesn’t arrive in time, you can register at your polling place on Election Day.

• In person: Go to your town or city clerk’s office during normal business hours until the day before the election, or register at the polls on Election Day.

First-time voters must take the voter’s oath. If your name is not on the state's voter checklist when you arrive at your polling location, you may be asked to fill out additional paperwork. Use the state’s voter portal or call your town or city clerk to check your registration status.

No. Voters don’t register with a party in Vermont, so you can choose the primary in which you want to vote. But you can only vote in one party's primary. 

If you request an absentee ballot, the state will send one for each of Vermont’s three major parties: Democrat, Republican and Progressive. You should mark only one of the ballots, but you must return all three.

Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot and vote from home in the primaries. Requests for absentee ballots are open year-round, but you must renew your request each year. 

Before the general election, the state will automatically mail you a ballot if you’re an active voter.

Request a ballot online, by mail or in person:

• Online: Use My Voter Page to request your absentee ballot. Or print an application form, and email or fax the completed application to your town or city clerk.

• By mail: Download and complete an application form, then mail it to your town or city clerk’s office. Or call your town or city clerk’s office to request an application.

• In person: Go to your town or city clerk’s office by close of business.

Absentee ballot requests must be received the day before an election.

You can receive your ballot electronically through the state’s voter portal if you’re ill, injured or have a disability. Or have a ballot delivered to your home on Election Day and submitted for you. Contact your town or city clerk’s office for details.

Place your completed ballot inside the voted ballot envelope and sign the certificate on the outside of the envelope. Postage is provided. Return the sealed envelope by mail or in person:

• By mail: Mail your pre-addressed ballot to your town or city clerk’s office. It must be received by close of business on the day before an election. Allow at least seven mailing days for your ballot to be received.

• In person: Hand-deliver your ballot to your town or city clerk’s office or a drop box location, if available, by close of business on the day before an election. Or bring it to the polls by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Enter your information at My Voter Page to track your ballot. Voters can correct a ballot if the clerk finds an error, such as a missing signature. The clerk will notify you if your ballot was returned incorrectly.

You can vote early and in person at your town or city clerk’s office. Check the secretary of state’s town clerk guide closer to an election for locations and hours. 

Check with your city or town clerk for polling hours, and use the My Voter Page to find your polling location.  

You don’t need ID to vote at the polls, but you do need to include a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID when you register by mail or online. If you don’t include a photocopy, you will be asked to show an acceptable form of ID at the polling place before you vote.

Editor’s note: This guide was updated on Dec. 6, 2022, with more information about voting in Vermont. The guide was first published on Aug. 20, 2020.

• Stay updated on the 2022 election at AARP.org/elections.
• Keep up with local events and AARP advocacy efforts at aarp.org/vermont.