Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Vermont
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Vermont, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Vermont Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 8.
Key dates
- Register online by
Tuesday, November 3
No deadline before Election Day: you can register on any day up to and including Election Day (17 V.S.A. § 2144). First-time Vermont registrants applying online or by mail must include a copy of an ID.
- Register by mail by
Tuesday, November 3
No advance deadline; same-day registration is available. A form mailed close to the election may not arrive in time for an early ballot.
- Register in person by
Tuesday, November 3
At your town or city clerk's office during business hours before the election, or at the polls during voting hours on Election Day.
- Same-day registration
Yes
You can register and vote on Election Day at your polling place.
- Early voting
Saturday, September 19 to Monday, November 2
Early voting starts 45 days before the election, or as soon as your town has ballots. Town clerks must have them by September 19.
- How early voting works
Vote early in person at your town or city clerk's office during business hours. Contact your clerk to confirm ballots are available.
- Request a mail ballot by
Monday, November 2
Not needed for active voters. Anyone else can request an early or absentee ballot until 5 p.m. (or the clerk's closing time) on Monday, November 2. A sick or disabled voter can have a ballot delivered on Election Day by two justices of the peace.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: return it to your town clerk's office before it closes on Monday, November 2, or bring it to your polling place by 7 p.m. on Election Day. You can mail it, use your town's drop box, or hand it in.
- Election Day polling hours
Polls close at 7 p.m.
17 V.S.A. § 2561.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Every voter is mailed a ballot
Vermont mails a general election ballot to every active registered voter; you don't need to request one. Mailing starts by September 21 and must finish by October 1 (17 V.S.A. § 2537a).
- Drop boxes
Yes
Use a drop box in the town and district where you would vote in person, if your town has one.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Ballots must reach the clerk before the office closes on November 2, or the polling place by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
ID at the polls
- The rule
No ID needed for most voters
No ID is required to vote.
- What to bring
You don't need an ID to vote in Vermont. If you're registering for the first time by mail or online, include a copy of an acceptable ID, such as a driver's license or passport.
When will we know results in Vermont?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7 p.m. Eastern time
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Sunday, October 4
From 30 days before the election, clerks may process early ballots and put them in the tabulator or ballot box, but only if the town's board of civil authority voted to allow early deposit (17 V.S.A. § 2546a(b)). Otherwise ballots are handled on Election Day.
- Counties finish their count by
Tuesday, November 10
Town clerks file the official return of votes by November 5. All canvassing committees (statewide, county, senatorial and representative) meet at 10 a.m. on November 10.
- State certifies results
Tuesday, November 10
The statewide canvassing committee meets November 10 and prepares, but does not sign, certificates for statewide offices. The legislature counts and declares the governor's race when it convenes.
- Automatic recount
No
The only "automatic" provisions concern voter registration. Recounts are on a candidate's request filed under chapter 51, subchapter on recounts (§ 2602 et seq.). Note § 2602k: a tie in a general election after a recount leads to a court-ordered runoff.
- Requested recount
2% or less (statewide, federal, county and State Senate races)
A losing candidate may have the votes recounted if the margin is 2% or less of total votes cast divided by the number of seats; 5% or less for State Representative. The petition goes to the Superior Court within 7 days after the election (by November 10).
- Runoff
No runoff; the legislature picks the governor if no candidate wins a majority
If no candidate for governor, lieutenant governor or treasurer gets a majority ('the major part of the votes'), the House and Senate elect one of the top three vote-getters by joint ballot when they convene in January (Vt. Const. ch. II, § 47).
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
The canvassing committee declares "the person receiving the largest number of votes for each office" elected (§ 2592(h)).
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. A constitutional amendment passes if 'approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon' (ch. II, § 72).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Vermont Secretary of State.