Polling Places

V.S.A. tit. 17, ch. 51, subch. 4

in effect

17 V.S.A. § 2501 Determining districts

2501. Determining districts (a) The board of civil authority shall designate one or more polling places within a town; however, the voters at a regular or special meeting warned for that purpose may designate different polling places. If the questions and candidates to be voted upon are not identical for all voters in the town, so that different ballots will be used depending on where a voter lives, the board of civil authority shall suitably divide the master checklist for the whole town into separate checklists according to geographical boundaries, at least 40 days before the election. The master checklist shall be divided in a way that ensures that all voters on a particular checklist will be voting on the same questions and candidates and will be given identical ballots. Each of the separate checklists shall be organized alphabetically, and for each checklist the board of civil authority shall designate the location of a separate polling place. Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section or section 2147 of this title, each voter shall vote at the polling place designated for the separate checklist on which his or her name appears. (b) The board of civil authority may also divide the master checklist into separate checklists for the convenient conduct of the election even if the questions and candidates to be voted upon are identical for all voters in the town. In such case, the board shall follow the procedures of this section. (c) In preparing the separate checklists, the board of civil authority shall be responsible for accurately determining the geographical location of the last known place of residence of each voter in order to place the voter on the proper separate checklist. If at any time except on election day the board determines that a voter should be on a different checklist from the one on which his or her name appears, the board shall remove the voter’s name from the wrong checklist and place it on the proper checklist in accordance with section 2147 of this title. (d) The board shall post prominent notices in and around the polling places urging voters to check whether they have been placed on the proper geographical checklist. The notice shall also explain the procedures by which a voter who is on the wrong checklist for his or her geographical area can be added to the proper checklist and vote at the proper polling place. (e) If more than one polling place is located within the same building, each shall be located so that it is separate and distinct from the others, and each shall be run separately from the others with regard to the process of voting. Each polling place shall have its own entrance and exit tables, guardrails, voting booths, and ballot boxes, and it shall have its own election officials handling the entrance and exit checklists, furnishing ballots, supervising the deposit of ballots, otherwise conducting the voting part of the elections, and tallying the checklists after the polls have closed. However, in the case of a town that uses vote tabulators designed to tabulate ballots from multiple districts by means of a single tabulator, nothing in this section shall prohibit such a town from using a single voting area and a single vote tabulator for two or more districts, as long as voters are checked in through separate entrance checklists and checked out through separate exit checklists if exit checklists are employed. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 56; 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 1985, No. 198 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1991, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 25, 1992.

17 V.S.A. § 2502 Location of polling places; outdoor polling places

2502. Location of polling places; outdoor polling places (a) Location. Each polling place shall be located in a public place within the town. (b) Outdoor polling places. A polling place may be located outdoors if it can be operated in a manner consistent with the provisions of this chapter. (1) The board of civil authority shall designate the outdoor area that comprises the “polling place” for purposes of restrictions and requirements for polling places imposed pursuant to this chapter, including the restrictions on campaigning and other activities within the building containing the polling place described in subdivisions 2508(a)(1)(A) and (B) of this subchapter. (2) An indoor polling place alternative shall be available at or near the same physical location as the outdoor polling place in case of inclement weather. If conditions require use of the indoor alternative, the Secretary of State’s office shall be notified immediately of the change. (3) Candidates and members of the public who would otherwise be allowed to campaign outside an indoor polling place shall be kept a reasonable distance from the outdoor polling place such that any campaigning does not disrupt or interfere in any way with the voting process. (c) Drive-up voting. Voting may be conducted by a drive-through or drive-up voting method at a polling place if the voting process can be operated in a manner consistent with the provisions of this chapter. (1) Drive-up voting procedures shall enable voters to complete the voting process without leaving their vehicles, allowing the voters to deposit their ballots directly into a tabulator or secure ballot box that may be brought to the window of the vehicle or located in such a manner that it can be accessed from the vehicle or providing voters an envelope or folder in which to place their voted ballots before handing it to an election official for processing. (2) Polling places conducting drive-up voting shall also accommodate walk-in voters and those using other forms of transport. (d) Ballot transfer. If a polling place is outside or if voting is conducted by a drive-up method, ballots may be periodically transferred from a secure outdoor or drive-up ballot box to another secure container for counting after the close of the polls or to election officials who are processing ballots through the tabulator. Any such transfer shall be done in the presence of two election officials, if possible officials of different parties. (e) Access. The accessible voting system shall be available for those who request it. Additionally, the board of civil authority shall take such measures as are necessary to ensure that voters who are elders or have a disability may conveniently and secretly cast their votes. Measures that may be taken shall include: location of polling places on the ground floor of a building; providing ramps, elevators, or other facilities for access to the polling place; providing a stencil overlay for ballots; providing a separate polling place with direct communication to the main polling place; and permitting election officials to carry a ballot to an elder or to a person who has a disability in order to permit that person to mark the ballot while in a motor vehicle adjacent to the polling place. For purposes of this subsection, the board of civil authority shall have full jurisdiction on the day of an election over the premises at which a polling place is located. (f) Polling place designation. (1) Thirty days prior to a local, primary, or general election, the town clerk shall submit to the Secretary of State a list of polling places within the municipality that will be used in that election. The list shall include the name of the polling location, its physical address, and the time the polling place will open. (2)(A) A municipality may change the location of a polling place less than 30 days prior to an election only in cases of emergency. If a municipality changes the location of a polling place less than 30 days prior to the election, the town clerk shall notify the Secretary of State within 24 hours of the change and provide the new polling place information. (B) The Secretary of State shall assist any municipality that needs to change the location of a polling place on the day of an election due to an emergency, including assisting in finding a new location and informing the public of that new location. (C) The Secretary of State shall inform the State chairs of Vermont’s major political parties of any changes made to polling places that he or she is aware of made less than 30 days prior to an election. (3) The Secretary of State shall provide on his or her official website a list of polling places that will be used in any local, primary, or general election within the State and shall specifically provide notice on that website of any change in the location of a municipality’s polling place. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1985, No. 11; 1991, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 25, 1992; 2003, No. 94 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 82; 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 34; 2021, No. 60, § 2, eff. June 7, 2021; 2023, No. 6, § 86, eff. July 1, 2023.

17 V.S.A. § 2504 Voting booths

2504. Voting booths At each polling place, there shall be a sufficient number, as determined by the board of civil authority, of voting booths. Each booth shall be of sturdy construction and shall allow a voter to mark his or her ballot conveniently without having his or her choices observed by any other person. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 17.

17 V.S.A. § 2505 Guardrail

2505. Guardrail A guardrail shall be so constructed that only persons inside the rail can approach within six feet of the ballot boxes and voting booths. Neither the ballot boxes nor the voting booths shall be hidden from those outside the guardrail. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

17 V.S.A. § 2506 Ballot boxes; signs for depositing ballots

2506. Ballot boxes; signs for depositing ballots All ballot boxes shall be rigid wood or metal containers. Ballot boxes shall be furnished at the expense of the town where they are to be used. When not in use, ballot boxes shall be in the custody of the town clerk. During voting hours there shall be signs, provided by the Secretary of State, placed on or near ballot boxes telling voters to deposit their own ballots in the ballot boxes. This requirement shall not apply to the ballot boxes used during primary elections for the collection of unvoted ballots, in which instance unvoted ballots are inserted by election officials. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 57.

17 V.S.A. § 2507 Distribution of checklists

2507. Distribution of checklists The town clerk shall furnish the presiding officer of each polling place with two certified copies of the checklist applicable to that polling place. One copy shall be used to check voters before they enter within the guardrail, and, unless the board of civil authority votes not to use an exit checklist, the other copy shall be used to check voters as they leave. Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1999, No. 2, § 1.

17 V.S.A. § 2508 Campaigning during polling hours; voter access

2508. Campaigning during polling hours; voter access (a)(1) The presiding officer shall ensure during polling hours on the day of the election that: (A) within the building containing a polling place, no campaign literature, stickers, buttons, name stamps, information on write-in candidates, or other political materials that display the name of a candidate on the ballot or an organized political party or that demonstrate support or opposition to a question on the ballot are displayed, placed, handed out, or allowed to remain; (B) within the building containing a polling place, no candidate, election official, or other person distributes election materials, solicits voters regarding an item or candidate on the ballot, or otherwise campaigns; and (C) on the walks and driveways leading to a building in which a polling place is located, no candidate or other person physically interferes with the progress of a voter to and from the polling place. (2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply to the town clerk’s office during any period of early or absentee voting. (b) During polling hours, the presiding officer shall control the placement of signs on the property of the polling place in a fair manner. (c) The provisions of this section shall be posted in the notice required by section 2521 of this chapter. Amended 1989, No. 211 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2001, No. 5, § 14; 2017, No. 50, § 24; 2019, No. 67, § 13.

17 V.S.A. § 2510 Polling places; firearms prohibited

2510. Polling places; firearms prohibited (a)(1) A person shall not knowingly possess a firearm at a polling place or on the walks leading to a building in which a polling place is located on an election day. (2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply to the town clerk’s office during any period when a board of civil authority has voted to permit early voting pursuant to subdivision 2546b(a)(1) of this title. (b) This section shall not apply to: (1) a firearm carried for legitimate law enforcement purposes by a federal law enforcement officer or a law enforcement officer certified as a law enforcement officer by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council pursuant to 20 V.S.A. § 2358; (2) a firearm carried by a person while preforming the person’s official duties as an employee of the United States; a department or agency of the United States; a state; or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a state if the person is authorized to carry a firearm as part of the person’s official duties; or (3) a firearm stored in a motor vehicle. (c) Notice of the provisions of this section shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance to each polling place. (d) As used in this section: (1) “Firearm” has the same meaning as in section 13 V.S.A. § 4017. (2) “Polling place” means a place that a municipality has designated to the Secretary of State as a polling place pursuant to subsection 2502(f) of this title. Added 2023, No. 120 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. May 28, 2024.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/17/051Fetched: 10/21/2026