Hey Vermont!

If you want to vote, first you have to make sure you’re registered. If you’re not sure whether you are registered already there’s a link in the description where you can check right now.

If you’re not registered or you need to update your name or address, there’s another link below where you can register online as long as you have a Vermont driver’s license or state ID. If you don’t have one, or you’d just rather fill out a paper form and mail it in, you should use the printable form in the description. Part of registering in Vermont is taking a Voter’s Oath.

The oath can be administered to you by anyone over 18, including yourself, and there’s instructions for how to do it on your registration form. You can register all the way until election day including registering in-person at your polling place. But if you’re planning to register online or by mail, try to do it at least a week in advance so your name shows up on the voter checklist.

Otherwise you might be asked to register again on election day. So once you’re registered, there’s a few different ways you can vote. If you prefer to vote from the comfort of your own home you should request a mail ballot, also known as an absentee ballot, by filling out either the online or mail in form in the description and submitting it to your town clerk’s office.

You technically have until November 2nd, to request an absentee ballot but the sooner you do it the better, so you have enough time to get your ballot in the mail, vote, and mail it back before November 3rd. You can also vote early by going to your Town Clerk’s office during their normal business hours from September 19th through November 2nd. A link to their addresses and hours is below.

If you’re planning on voting in person on November 3rd, you can find out where you need to go to vote using the link in the description. Polls are open between 5 and 10am and close at 7pm. When you look up your polling place it will show you the exact hours.

You won’t need to show an ID, unless you didn’t provide one when you registered. So if that sounds like you, bring a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or a recent utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck with your name and address on it. You can also go to the same website you used to check your registration and voting location to find a sample ballot.

Your sample ballot tells you everything that you’ll be able to vote for in this year’s elections. You don’t have to vote for every single thing on the ballot for it to be counted, but if you want a chance to do some research on the candidates in your local elections, it’s a pretty good idea to look at a sample ballot first. You can even fill it out and bring it to the polls with you, so you can be sure you remember how you want to vote.

One last thing: if you’re going to vote—open up your notes app or grab a piece of paper and make a plan. Write down when and how you’re going to register, what time you’re going to vote, how you’re gonna get there, what ID you’re going to use if you need one, even who you’re going to bring to the polls with you. Having a plan is a great way to make sure that nothing unexpected stops you from voting on November 3rd.

There will be links for everything you need to get registered, vote early, and find your polling location in description. Thanks for being a voter. How To Vote in Every State is produced by Complexly in partnership with The MediaWise Voter Project, which is led by The Poynter Institute and supported by Facebook.