Am I eligible to vote?

You can vote in Vermont ONLY if you:

1. are a citizen of the United States, and;

2. are a resident of Vermont and a resident of the town where you register to vote, and;

3. take, or have previously taken, the Voter's Oath; and

4. are 18 years of age or older (or will be 18 on or before the day of the election).

You cannot register to vote in two places.  If you have already registered in your hometown, but decide to vote in your college town, you can re-register in your college town.  Once you register, your hometown will be notified and your name will be removed from that voter checklist.

• How do I register to vote?

Legal Stuff about Vermont Residency

In 1979, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states must allow students to vote in the communities where they attend school (United States v. Symm). 

You can decide where you reside for voting purposes.  Vermont election law defines a resident for voting purposes 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)).

This means that it is your intent and action that determine residency, not how many nights a year you sleep in the town.  You may decide that your college dorm or apartment is your "principal" dwelling for voting purposes because during the school year you consider it to be your primary residence.  You might decide, instead, that your your parents' home is still your primary residence.

It's your choice, but you may only vote in one place.

Other types of residency in Vermont

In Vermont the law provides a variety of definitions of residence.  The fact that your are a resident for voting purposes does not automatically make you a resident for other purposes.  For example, registering to vote in Vermont will not get you in-state tuition at the University of Vermont (16 V.S.A. §2282) or at a state college.

Also, just because you registered to vote in Vermont does not mean that you will have to get a Vermont driver's license or register your vehicle here (23 V.S.A. §4(30)).