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Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state.
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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Vermont, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines.These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Vermont. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates,click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contactstate election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Seestate election laws

Year-specific filing information

2026

See also:Signature requirements and deadlines for 2026 U.S. Congress elections andVermont elections, 2026

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Vermont in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Vermont, clickhere.

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Vermont in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Vermont, clickhere.

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Vermont House of Representatives candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Vermont, clickhere.

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Vermont State Senate candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Vermont, clickhere.

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Process to become a candidate

See statutes:Title 17-49 of the Vermont Election Law

Major party candidates

A candidate seeking the nomination of a major political party in the primary must file a nominating petition and consent form with the appropriate filing officer in order to authorize the printing of his or her name on the primary ballot.^[3][4]

• For candidates seeking statewide or federal office, paperwork must be filed with theVermont Secretary of State.
• For candidates running for office in theVermont House of Representatives, paperwork must be filed with the Representative District Clerk.
• For candidates running for office in theVermont State Senate, paperwork must be filed with the Senatorial District Clerk.^[3]

A candidate must file the petition and consent form with the appropriate filing authority no later than 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday after the first Monday in May preceding the primary election. A candidate may only run for one party in the primary election, and only major party candidates may run in a primary.^[5][6]

Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below.^[7]

Minor party candidates

A candidate seeking the nomination of a minor political party in the general election is nominated by party committee. The candidate must file a candidate consent form and party committee nomination form with theVermont Secretary of State. The party committee must also complete the party committee nomination form.^[8]

Both the candidate consent form and the party committee nomination form must be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday after the first Monday in May preceding the primary election.^[5][8]

• For candidates seeking statewide or federal office, paperwork must be filed with theVermont Secretary of State.
• For candidates running for office in theVermont House of Representatives, paperwork must be filed with the Representative District Clerk.
• For candidates running for office in theVermont State Senate, paperwork must be filed with the Senatorial District Clerk.^[3]

Independent candidates

An independent candidates in the general election must file a statement of nomination form and candidate consent form with theVermont Secretary of State in order to authorize the printing of his or her name on the general election ballot.^[9]

Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below.^[10]

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate is not required to submit any forms with any filing authority. The ballot will allow as many blank lines for write-in candidates as there are persons to be elected.^[11]

Petition requirements

See also:Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

See statutes:Title 17-49-2353 andTitle 17-49-2354 of the Vermont Election Law

In some cases, candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain access to the ballot. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining topetitions andcirculators inVermont.

Signature requirements

Petitions must be signed by legal voters within the state.^[12] The voter must include his or her signature, printed name, and town of residence.^[12] Signatures need not all be contained on one paper. Voters may sign as many petitions for primary and independent candidates as there are nominations to be made or seats filled for that office. For example, voters may sign three petitions for a three-seatstate senate district, or sign a petition for an independent candidate even if the same voter had signed a petition for a major party candidate running for the same office in the primary.^[13]

The relevant statutes do not stipulate any particular requirements on petition circulators.

Contact information

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also:State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Vermont can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Vermont Town Clerks

Click here for a list

Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division

128 State Street

Montpelier, Vermont 05633-1101

Phone: 802-828-2363

Email:https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/about/contact/

Website:https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email:clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website:https://www.eac.gov

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Do you need information about elections inyour area? Are you looking foryour local election official?Click here to visit theU.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Term limits

State executives

See also:State executives with term limits andStates with gubernatorial term limits

The following state executive officials serve two-year terms, with no provision specifying the number of terms allowed.

• Governor of Vermont
• Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
• Vermont Secretary of State
• Attorney General of Vermont
• Vermont Treasurer

State legislators

See also:State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Vermont state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

See also:List of United States Representatives from Vermont andList of United States Senators from Vermont

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation fromVermont.

State legislative partisanship

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature ofVermont.

Vermont State Senate

Vermont House of Representatives

Related legislation

The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Vermont. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

The Ballot Bulletin

TheBallot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from ourElection Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Recent issues

Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

• The Ballot Bulletin: February 13, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: February 6, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 30, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 23, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 16, 2026

Subscribe

Enter your email address below to subscribe to The Ballot Bulletin.

See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Vermont
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Vermont
• Vermont elections, 2026
• Campaign finance requirements in Vermont
• Counties in Vermont
• List of United States Representatives from Vermont
• List of United States Senators from Vermont
• Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
• State executives with term limits
• States with gubernatorial term limits
• State legislatures with term limits

External links

Official state and federal links

• Vermont Secretary of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Candidate information, from the Vermont Secretary of State
• Vermont Secretary of State, "Election Info & Resources FAQS"

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American third party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives

Footnotes

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policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Redistricting policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Recount laws Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for presidential candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political parties Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Electoral systems Single-winner system •Multi-winner system •Block voting system •Plurality voting system •Majority voting system •Top-two primary •Blanket primary •Open primary •Closed primary •Semi-closed primary •Top-four primary •Ranked-choice voting (RCV) •STAR voting •Approval voting •Fusion voting