Voting

Please remember that election day is November 6, 2012. Casting a vote has never been more important. To vote in the state of Vermont, you must be registered before hand. The last day to register to vote in the upcoming General Election is Wednesday, October 31, 2012. You can vote in Vermont ONLY if you:
1. are a citizen of the United States;
2. are a resident of Vermont and a resident of the town in which you apply to be added to the checklist;
3. take, or have previously taken, the Voter's Oath (formerly called the "Freeman's Oath"); and
4. are 18 years of age or more.

The Voter registration forms are called “Applications for Addition to the Checklist” Applications for Addition to the Checklist can be downloaded from the Vermont Secretary of State 's website, but the easiest thing to do is get your Application for Addition to the Checklist from your town clerk. You can fill it out right there and the town clerk can administer the Oath to you.

Once you are registered, you can vote in two ways:

1. Early or Absentee voting.
Early voting has already begun. This is also called absentee voting. If you are sick or disabled a ballot can be delivered to your home on Election Day. You may request an absentee ballot up until 5 p.m. on the day before the election. Two justices of the peace (of different parties) will deliver a ballot to you, and then will bring the ballot back to the polling place so that it can be placed in the ballot box and counted.

Or any voter can request that the town clerk mail them an early voter absentee ballot. This ballot will arrive with a return envelope so that the ballot, once voted, can be returned to the clerk so that it can be counted on Election Day. The clerk must receive the ballot by the close of polls on Election Day in order to be counted. A ballot can be requested any time before an election. Clerks will mail absentee ballots within the 45 days prior to the election. Many clerks have already mailed absentee ballots out.

A voter may pick up a ballot at the town clerk’s office at any time beginning forty-five days prior to the election. The ballot can be hand delivered to the clerk on Election Day or prior to Election Day by the voter or any person the voter authorizes to return the ballot for him or her. A person can only pick up his or her own ballot from the clerk’s office.

You can also vote right at the Town Clerk’s office in person any time forty-five days before the general election.

2. Election Day voting.

Election day is November 6, 2012. It is a lot of fun to go to the polls. Polling in Georgia is located at the big gym from 7am until 7pm. In Fairfax the polling is at BFA from 7am until 7pm. You'll have to tell the members of the Board of Civil Authority who you are and they check off that you have taken a ballot. Then you take your ballot into the voting booth to mark your ballot. When you return your ballot the Board of Civil Authority checks off that your ballot is returned. That's it. There are always lots of people from town at the polls, and it's a great place to visit and catch up with your neighbors.

Don't forget to vote. It's really important.

Rep. Carolyn Branagan
Franklin-1, Fairfax/Georgia
Vermont House of Representatives