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1. What is the
Voter's Oath?
The Voter's Oath is
contained within the Vermont Constitution. You must take the oath to
complete the voter registration form. It's simple! You can take
the oath yourself, or anyone 18 years of age or older can give it to you and
sign the form to indicate they have done so. Here is the text of the
oath:
You solemnly swear
(or affirm) that whenever you give your vote or suffrage, touching any
matter that concerns the State of Vermont, you will do it so as in your
conscience you shall judge will most conduce to the best good of the same,
as established by the Constitution, without fear or favor or any person.
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2. Financial Aid
Eligibility
Generally, registering to
vote in Vermont will not affect federal financial aid eligibility. The
Vermont Student Assistance Corporation reports
that Vermont financial aid officers do not consider the voter registration
status of students when issuing financial aid awards.
Note that there may be
some private scholarships that depend on a fixed residency and voter
registration may be a factor in determining that residency. If you are
receiving scholarship aid from your hometown, home-state or a private
organization, you should confirm that residency in that hometown or
home-state is not a requirement.
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3. What if I
cannot get to the polls on Election
Day?
If you cannot get to the
polls on Election Day, there are several options available:
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Early voting -
Voting starts as soon as ballots are available, not later than 45 days
before the primary or general election. This means that you can go
to the town clerk's office in the municipality where you are registered to
vote and ask for a ballot. You can fill out the ballot there, or
take it home and mail it back. You cannot pick up someone else's
ballot, only your own.
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Vote by mail - You can request that
your town clerk mail you an early absentee ballot and return it to the
town clerk or polling place for counting on Election Day. The clerk
must receive the ballot by the close of polls on Election Day. If
you didn't mail it back in time, it can be hand delivered on Election Day.
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Hand delivered ballots
- If you received an early absentee ballot
and forgot to mail it back in time, you can have the ballot hand delivered
to the clerk or to the polls on Election Day. You do not have to
return the ballot yourself, anyone can return the ballot for you.
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Vote at home on Election Day - If you
are sick or disabled, a ballot can be delivered to your home on Election
Day. You must make your request by 5:00 p.m. on the day BEFORE the
election. On Election Day (or the eight days leading up to the
election) two justices of the peace of different political parties will
deliver a ballot to you, and then will return the ballot to the polling
place so that it can be placed in the ballot box and counted.
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4. Do I need to
declare a party affiliation?
In Vermont every voter
is an independent voter! When registering to vote in Vermont you do
not need to declare a party affiliation. In the state primary you will
need to choose which major party ballot to vote, but your choice will remain
private.
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5. I
LOST my absentee ballot. What do I do?
If you misplace your
absentee ballot you can still show up at the polls on Election Day and vote.
The election workers will know that you were sent a ballot, and they will
ask that you sign a statement that you do not have the ballot and that you
did not already vote. |
Elections: