Early voting for Vermont’s Aug. 11 primary is underway

July 10, 2026  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Early voting ahead of the Aug. 11 state primary election is now underway across Vermont, and state and local elections officials want voters to know their options to cast their ballots.

Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas this week issued a reminder to voters about resources from her office. 

“Every election is a valuable opportunity to make your voice heard,” Copeland Hanzas said. “Yet, we tend to see lower turnout in primary elections. It’s crucial that Vermonters know how important their vote is and how many options they have for casting their ballot!”

The primary election determines which major party candidates will be on the ballot for the November general election. But, unlike the general election, ballots for the statewide primary are not mailed automatically. To receive a ballot in the mail, voters need to request one from their clerk’s office or from the online Vermont Voter Portal on the Secretary of State’s website. Voters also can just go to their municipal clerk’s office during regular business hours to request a ballot, mark it and turn it in in person. 

In casting a primary ballot either early or on election day, voters need to choose which major party primary that they wish to vote in – Democratic, Republican or Progressive. Voters receive one copy of each ballot; they mark one and return the others unmarked. 

Those who receive their ballot in the mail may mail the marked ballot back to their city or town clerk. The Secretary of State’s office recommends doing so by July 28 to ensure that it reaches the clerk’s office by Election Day. 

Voters can also hand-deliver their ballot to their clerk during regular office hours or put it in an official ballot drop box. All ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. on election day for them to be counted. Any early ballots still out on election day should be returned to the polls, not to municipal offices.

In addition to being a place to request an early ballot, the Vermont Voter Portal also is a way to check your voter registration information, view sample ballots for the upcoming election, and learn more about the candidates. 

Every registered voter has an account and can log in to view information about their clerk’s office and polling place, request an absentee ballot, and view a voter guide for their area. The guides have information about the statewide offices on the ballot, the district elected positions, and statements from the candidates.

“Vermont works to remove barriers between eligible voters and their right to vote, and I wanted to make information about who is on your ballot just as accessible,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “Sometimes I hear that folks don’t participate in our elections because they don’t feel informed enough about the choices. I hope that this standard, non-partisan guide gives Vermonters a convenient opportunity to get the information they need to cast their vote.”

This year, all of Vermont’s six statewide elected offices are on the ballot: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor, treasurer and secretary of state. All 150 members of the Vermont House of Representatives and the Vermont Senate are up for election as is Vermont’s lone seat in Congress. 

The Democratic ballot has the most statewide primary contests for voters to decide in the upcoming election with multiple candidates running for the party’s nomination for governor, lieutenant governor and auditor:

• Amanda Janoo from Burlington and Aly Richards from Montpelier are candidates for governor; 

• Esther Charlestin of South Burlington, Molly Gray from Burlington and Ryan McLaren from Essex Junction are running for lieutenant governor;

• Tim Ashe of Burlington, Nicholas Graeter of Williston and Dan Towle from Huntington are seeking the auditor position.  

The Washington Senate district has a four-way race for three seats: incumbents  Ann Cummings of Montpelier, Andrew Perchlik of Marshfield, and Anne Watson from Barre City along with newcomer Gabriel LaJeunesse of Montpelier. 

Three candidates are seeking two Washington County assistant judge positions: incumbent Leah Murphy Jones from Montpelier, and Caleb Curry from Montpelier and Anne Dielensnyder of Berlin. 

On the Republican ballot, the only contest is for the party’s nomination in the Vermont U.S. House race, between Mark Coester of Westminster and Gerald Malloy from Weathersfield. The Progressive ballot has no competition for any of the offices. In all cases, voters can write in choices on their ballots in addition to those printed. 

On Election Day, voting in Waterbury will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Brookside Primary School. Duxbury voting will be held during the same hours in the drive-through loop at the town office and highway garage. 

For more information, Waterbury Town Clerk’s voting and election page here has the primary election warning and sample party ballots. The Duxbury Town Clerk webpage is here. See the Vermont Voter Portal here.