Voter Registration Deadline Draws Closer

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Created on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:13

Written by Katelyn Zenie

ST. JOHNSBURY - Election day is right around the corner and St. Johnsbury town clerk Stacy Jewell says the turnout of Vermonters registering to vote this year was good.

"I just checked and we've had 358 new people registered in the last 365 days and so everyday we probably have 10 or 15 people coming in," she says. If you still have not registered to vote, you still have time.

The deadline to register for the general election is Wednesday, October 31. Those who still need to register can do so by visiting their town clerks office, going online to Vermont's Secretary of State website to download the forms, or applying through the Department of Motor Vehicles or another registration agency. However there are different deadlines for each location so planning ahead is important. Once you are registered to vote, there is no need to re-register unless you move to a new town.

You may register to vote in Vermont if you are a citizen of the United States, if you are a Vermont resident, if you have previously taken the voters oath, and if you are 18 years of age. Once your town clerk reviews your application, he or she will add you to the checklist and you will become registered to vote. The clerk will notify you in writing as to whether or not your application was approved. If you are a resident who won't be in your town of residence on election day, you can request an absentee ballot, in which the application must be recieved by 5 P.M. on November 5th.  The ballot itself must be in before 7 P.M. on election day.

Anybody who is overseas can also send in their ballot through e-mail. It is important for every legal resident to vote in order to get their voice heard in this election process.