Running for office in Vermont

This page covers what's specific to Vermont. Start with the general guide for the steps every candidate follows regardless of state.

Filing in Vermont

Vermont handles most local office elections at the town level rather than through the Secretary of State directly. How you get on the ballot depends on how your town elects its officers. Towns that vote by floor meeting simply nominate candidates from the floor during town meeting, no petition needed. Towns that use Australian ballot voting require a formal nominating petition instead.

There's no filing fee for local office in Vermont. Candidates in Australian-ballot towns qualify by collecting voter signatures on a nominating petition, along with a signed consent-of-candidate form agreeing to appear on the ballot.

Deadlines and numbers

• Local nominating petition: signatures from 30 registered voters or 1 percent of the town's voter checklist, whichever is less
• Petition must name the specific office and term length before circulation, list only one candidate, and show your name exactly as it appears on the voter checklist
• Petition and consent form filed with the municipal clerk (not the Secretary of State) no later than 5:00 p.m. on the sixth Monday before election day
• Candidates who raise or spend $500 or more must register with the Secretary of State and file campaign finance disclosure reports 30 days before, 10 days before, and two weeks after the election

The dossier could not confirm the exact 2027 town meeting filing deadline. Vermont town meeting day is set by statute as the first Tuesday in March, but the specific sixth-Monday-before date wasn't calculated from an official calendar source. For the next cycle's exact date, ask in /engage or check with your town clerk closer to the date.

Where to go

• Your town or city clerk, where nomination petitions and consent forms are filed
• Vermont Secretary of State, local office candidate information: sos.vermont.gov/elections/election-info-resources/candidates/local-office-candidates
• Elections Division: sos.vermont.gov/elections, or 802-828-2363