Early voting in Vermont began Monday for the Nov. 3 election, along with the mailing of ballots to all active, registered voters in the state.
Voters should expect to receive their ballots by early October, Secretary of State Jim Condos said. Voters whose ballots have not arrived by Oct. 7 should contact their town or city clerk.
"The hard work we have conducted planning and preparing for an election unlike any we have ever experienced will ensure that Vermont voters do not need to choose between their health and their right to vote," Condos said in a written statement.
All active voters will be receiving ballots in the mail this year as part of a broader effort to ensure people can vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic.
Voters can return their ballots by mail, bring their voted ballots directly to their town or city clerk or bring their ballots to the polls on Election Day.
Polling locations will be open as normal for all voters who do not vote early. The ballot envelopes are postage-paid.
More on Early Voting
Mail-in voters must follow the instructions for their ballots to count. They must place the ballots in a separate envelope, completely filling out a certificate and signing it.
"I am encouraging Vermont voters to help ‘flatten the absentee ballot curve’ by voting and returning their ballots as early as they feel comfortable," Condos said.
Town and city clerks may begin processing the ballots 30 days prior to the election, including feeding them into tabulating machines or storing them securely until they can be counted by hand on election night.
Vote tabulator machines will not display vote counts, only the number of voted ballots, until election night.
Last week, a federal court judge rejected a challenge to Vermont’s plan to mail ballots.
