WARNING — VERMONT PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY — MARCH 3, 2020
A statewide Presidential Primary will be held on TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 to vote for candidates for the following offices:
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The polls will open at a.m. and will close at 7:00 p.m. The polling place(s) is/are located at:
Town (or City) Clerk
VERMONT NOTICE TO VOTERS AND VERMONT VOTER RIGHTS
EARLY or ABSENTEE BALLOTS: You can request early/absentee ballots at any time during the election year. The latest a ballot can be requested
in _ is
(Town) (date and time office closes prior to election)
You or a family member can request early ballots in person, in writing, by telephone, or on your My Voter Page at mvp.sec.state.vt.us. An authorized person can request ballots for you in person or in writing.
CHECKLIST: posted at town clerk’s office by Sunday, February 2, 2020. If your name is not on it, then you must register to vote.
SAMPLE BALLOTS POSTED: Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
REGISTER TO VOTE: There is no deadline to register to vote. You will be able to register to vote on the day of the election. Please register early by visiting the town clerk’s office or going online to olvr.sec.state.vt.us.
Methods of voting early/absentee in the 45 days before the election (ballots available by January 17, 2020):
Vote in the town clerk’s office prior to the election.Voter may take the ballots out of the clerk’s office and return in the same manner as if the ballots were received by mail.Have ballot mailed to you and return it to clerk’s office before Election Day or to the polling place before 7 p.m. on Election Day.If you are in the military, live overseas, or are ill or disabled you may receive your ballot electronically and utilize our accessible online ballot marking tool, but you must print your ballot and return it by mail.If you are ill or disabled, you may ask the town clerk, on or before the deadline to request an absentee ballot, to have two justices of the peace bring a ballot to you at your home on any day preceding the day of the election (once ballots are prepared) or the day of election.
Identification Required for First Time Registrants by Mail: If you are registering individually for the first time by mail or online, you must provide a copy of identification along with your registration: current valid photo I.D., or a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing your name and current address. If you do not provide I.D. or other documentation with your registration and do not have it when you come to the polls, you will be offered a provisional ballot.
CASTING A PROVISIONAL BALLOT: If you accept the offer to vote a provisional ballot, you must complete a sworn affidavit on the provisional ballot envelope swearing that you are qualified to vote in Vermont and in the polling place where you are, and that you submitted an application to register to vote before the deadline. You will be given a card explaining how you can find out if your ballot was counted one week after the election by calling the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-8683.
If your name was dropped from the checklist in error or has not been added even though you submitted an application: Explain the situation to your town clerk or presiding officer and ask that your name be added to the checklist. The town clerk or presiding officer will investigate the situation and then either have you complete a registration form and then add your name to the checklist or explain why you cannot be added.
If the town clerk or presiding officer and BCA members present cannot determine that you are entitled to be added to the checklist on Election Day, you may appeal to a superior court judge, who will give you a decision on Election Day OR you may vote a provisional ballot.
Any voter who wants assistance for any reason may bring the person of their choice into the voting booth to help or may ask for assistance from two election officials.
Voters who cannot get from the car into the polling place may have a ballot brought to a car outside the polls by two election officials.
Any U. S. citizen and resident of a Vermont town or city who submitted an application to register to vote on or before election day is entitled to vote regardless of race or physical ability.
THE LAW PROHIBITS THE FOLLOWING DO NOT:
• Vote more than once per election, either in the same town or in different towns.
• Mislead the board of civil authority about your own or another person’s eligibility to vote.
• Socialize in a manner that will disturb other voters.
• Offer a bribe, threaten, or intimidate a person to vote for a candidate.
• Hinder or interfere with the progress of a voter going into or out of a polling place. Vermont law provides that a person cannot campaign within a polling place but does NOT specify any number of feet that campaigners need to be away from the polls outside. The presiding officer will set reasonable rules for where campaigners can stand.
The Election Officials at the polling place are here to serve you.
If you have any questions, or need assistance while voting, ask your town clerk or any election official for help.
If you do not understand something, or you believe a mistake has been made that has not been corrected, or you have a question that cannot be answered to your satisfaction at the polling place:
Call the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State
1-800-439-VOTE (439-8683)
(Accessible by TDD)
If you believe that any of your voting rights have been violated, you may call the Elections Division at 800-439-8683 or (802) 828-2363. You may also file an Administrative Complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633-1101.
If you believe you have witnessed efforts to commit any kind of fraud or corruption in the voting process, you may report this to your local United States Attorney’s Office, the County State’s Attorney or the Vermont Attorney General.
If you have witnessed actual or attempted acts of discrimination or intimidation in the voting process, you may report this to the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice at (800) 253-3931.
VOTING PROCESS INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTERS
• Go to the entrance checklist table, give your name, and if asked, your street address to the election official in a loud voice.
• Wait until your name is repeated and checked off by the official.
• If you want to use the accessible voting system tell the entrance checklist official at this time. An election official will take you to the accessible ballot marking device, enter a security code, and then leave you to mark and print your ballot privately. More details about our new accessible ballot marking device are available on our website at http://www.sec.state.vt.us. Click on Elections>Voters>Accessibility.
• You must ask for a major party ballot (Democratic or Republican). This is required by Vermont law for the Presidential Primary. (17 V.S.A. §2704.)
• Take the ballot from the election official and enter a voting booth. Once inside the voting booth, mark your ballot for each race.
• To vote for a candidate, fill in the oval to the right of the name of the candidate. Do not vote for more candidates than the “Vote for not more than #” for each office. If you vote for more than the “Vote for not more than #,” your vote will not count for that race.
• WRITE-IN candidate(s). To vote for someone whose name is not
printed on the ballot, use the blank “write-in” line on the ballot and either write in the name or paste on a sticker, then fill in the oval.
• If you make a mistake or change your mind, DO NOT try to erase. Return your ballot and ASK an election official for a new ballot. If you make a mistake again, you may ask for another ballot. Each voter may have up to 3 ballots.
• To cast your voted ballot: either insert your voted ballot into the tabulator machine, or in a hand count town, insert it into the ballot box.
• Go to the exit checklist table, if any, and state your name. Wait until your name is repeated and checked off by the official.
• Leave the voting area immediately by passing outside the guardrail.
All voters who are in line at the polling place at 7p.m. will be permitted to vote. No voter can enter the polling place to vote after 7p.m.