10/14/2026
General Election Information
November 2026
General Election 2026 is upon us (also known as Mid-Term). Some helpful information I’d like to share:
• All registered voters were mailed an official ballot (which should have been received by now) This applies to ONLY the General Election.
• Ballots may be retuned:
o By mail
o Hand delivered
o Drop box (located on the porch of the town hall)
o Bringing your ballot to the polling place on election day
• If someone registered after 9/5, when the state pulled the statewide voter checklist, that ballot would be mailed directly by the town
• If someone received a ballot, voted on it, submitted it, but tragically passed away, their vote still counts
• If, unfortunately, someone passed away after the mailing of the ballots, we are unable to stop the ballot from being mailed.
• It is against the law to vote on someone else’s ballot
• The post office will not charge you to mail your ballot, the Vermont ballots are delivered with a postage paid envelope
• Poll workers in the state of Vermont are held to a high standard (including Pawlet). I have been a presiding officer for this town for over 18 years and I have never known a poll worker to put a mark on a voter’s ballot to invalidate it. The only time a poll worker/election official will handle a ballot is when an early voted ballot does not go through the tabulator due to overvote, stray marks (by the voter), bubble not filled in correctly, etc., 2 election officials will transfer the marks from that ballot to a replacement ballot so the votes will count for that voter. If there is an overvote, that race will be left blank as it is not within the authority of the election officials to make a decision on behalf of a voter. The replaced ballot is labeled as such and signed by the officials and placed in the defective ballot envelope. The transferred mark ballot will be processed through the tabulator.
• When processing early voted ballots:
o The voter is checked off at the entrance checklist as the certificate envelope is opened by an election official
o The election official takes the certificate envelope to the exit checklist and the voter gets checked off
o The envelope is placed upside down and the ballot removed from the envelope and they are placed in separate piles.
o The ballot is then taken to the tabulator, unfolded and processed with at least 2 election officials present
• If, at the polls, you make a mistake on your ballot, not to worry, you will be issued a new ballot to start over. We will have you place the ballot being replaced into an envelope prior to handing you a new one.
• If you come to the polls to vote and you do not bring your Official Ballot with you, an election official will ask you to complete an Affidavit of No Ballot Cast BEFORE issuing a replacement ballot
• If voting for the first time, you will be asked to show ID
• If a voter moves out of town and does not notify the town that they have left and then registers to vote in another state but does not list a previous address, there is no way of knowing that they should not receive a ballot. The Board of Civil Authority meets in odd numbered years to review the checklist and will procure a list of voters who are suspected to not be in the area any longer. Those voters are sent a “Challenge Letter” and given instructions on how to either remain on the checklist or to request to be removed. We don’t always hear back from these folks. We cannot remove challenged voters, that have not responded, from the checklist until they have missed 2 General Election Cycles.
• Most of our election officials are elected Justices of the Peace. Political balance is maintained when possible
• Poll workers cannot help you vote or discuss your vote with you
• The tabulator is not connected to the internet
• The tabulator is tested prior to every election and must test at 100% accuracy
• The tabulator is kept secured in the vault when not in use
• When ballots are received to the office, we make sure the certificate envelopes are signed, enter the ballot has been received into the election management portal and then the ballot, still sealed in the certificate envelope, is placed into a locked ballot box located in the vault until such time that it will be removed for processing.
• We have set aside two dates for early processing of received voted ballots:
o Thursday, October 22 at 10:00 AM
o Thursday, October 29 at 10:00 AM
• Early processing was approved by the Board of Civil Authority for the Town of Pawlet
I cannot account for all the misconceptions folks may have but I hope that I have addressed a few. I have seen many elections, worked with many election officials, attended many election training sessions both with the Secretary of State and the Elections Division with the State of Vermont and I have confidence in the election procedures for our state and I have faith in the voting population of our community. The town clerks (who are also presiding officers of elections in most, if not all towns) are dedicated to their offices and communities. I guarantee you that we are all working hard to make your voting experience a positive one while upholding the Oath that we have all taken.
If there are ever any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Town Office.
802-325-3309
122 School St., PO Box 128, Pawlet, VT 05761
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