Busy? Working? You don’t have to vote on Election Day

March 9, 2026  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

There was a lively discussion in the Roundabout’s Facebook comments this weekend that prompted me to chime in with election process details that I previously thought were redundant, but appeared worth repeating nonetheless. 

It began with someone saying they are not able to vote between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on a weekday because they are working that whole time. 

That’s unfortunate, but there’s an alternative for very busy people whose free time is limited, those who are homebound, traveling, etc. and not free on Town Meeting Day. Or any other election day for that matter. 

In the case of Town Meeting, you don’t have to vote on that day for the elections on all of the paper ballots. 

Ballots were available as of Feb. 11 to vote on the local-office elections and the Randall Meadow bond (on the town ballot). Also available were the Harwood Union and Central Vt Career Center school budget ballots.

The voting that exclusively happens on Town Meeting Day is the voting on the town budget articles and other non-election questions at the in-person meeting starting at 9 a.m. at the primary school. In 2025, there was a question at town meeting about changing that to put everything on the paper ballot. That would have eliminated the in-person meeting/voting. That was voted on at the in-person meeting because changing that setup needs to be decided at a meeting of the existing format. Not surprisingly, the voters who attended that day rejected that alternative.

So, how do you get and vote an early ballot? (also known as an “absentee” ballot)

You can go into the town office Monday through Friday and just vote on the spot during regular office hours. This is the case in any town or city in Vermont. If that's not convenient, you can call or email the clerk to mail it to you, or you can request it online on the Secretary of State website's voter portal. If you're homebound, a member of the Board of Civil Authority will even deliver it to you!

Once you have a ballot at home, you can mark it whenever you want, right up until election day. It’s like an open-book test because you can even take your time to look up information online, in the newspaper, in the town report, etc.

Return it by mailing it back if there’s enough time for it to arrive before election day. Or drop it off at the town office 24/7 in that ballot box outside the entryway until the day before Town Meeting Day. The box is locked on election day, so ballots need to be returned at the polls on that day before they close at 7 p.m. if you want your votes counted. It’s also OK to have someone drop your sealed envelope off at the clerk’s office, at the dropbox, or at the polls. 

Know that there are two more elections this year, and these rules will hold for the Aug. 11 primary and the Nov. 3 general election. Ballots will be available 30 days before the election.

Joining the Town Meeting Study Committee

Finally, there is a newly formed volunteer citizen committee charged with making suggestions to help increase participation in town meeting and there are four more spots to fill with new members. Town Meeting Moderator Rebecca Ellis is learning that group as its chair. 

It will meet monthly this year to make recommendations ahead of Town Meeting 2027. 

Here is a link with more information if you'd like to get involved.

Lisa Scagliotti is the editor at the Waterbury Roundabout.