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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Warning for Vermont General Election / Nov. 08, 2016

WARNING—VERMONT GENERAL ELECTION—NOVEMBER 8, 2016
A statewide GENERAL Election will be held on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 to vote for candidates for the following offices:
U.S. President and Vice-President
U.S. Senator State Treasurer State Senator(s)
U.S. Representative Secretary of State State Representative(s)
Governor Auditor of Accounts High Bailiff
Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Justice of the Peace
The polls will open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 7:00 p.m. The polling place is  located at:
Martin Memorial Hall / 5259 Route 5, Ascutney, VT


VERMONT NOTICE TO VOTERS AND VERMONT VOTER RIGHTS
CHECKLIST: posted at town clerk's office by Sunday, October 9, 2016. If your name is not on it, then you must register to vote.
SAMPLE BALLOTS POSTED: Wednesday, October 19, 2016.
REGISTER TO VOTE: Your application must be received by 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 2, 2016, at your town clerk's office.
EARLY or ABSENTEE BALLOTS: You can request early absentee ballots at any time during the election year. The latest you can request ballots for the General Election is the close of the town clerk's office on November 7, 2016. You or a family member can request early ballots in person, in writing or by telephone. An authorized person can request ballots for you in writing.
Methods of voting early absentee in the 45 days before the election (ballots available by September 23, 2016):
1. Vote in town clerk's office on or before November 7, 2016.
2. Voter may take the ballots out of the clerk's office for him or herself and return in same manner as if the ballots were received by mail.
3. Have ballot mailed to you and return it to clerk's office before Election Day or to polling place before 7 p.m. on Election Day.
4. If you are sick or have a disability, you may ask the town clerk on or before November 7, 2016, to have two justices of the peace bring a ballot to you at your home on any day preceding the day of the election (once ballots are prepared) or the day of election.
Identification Required for First Time Registrants by Mail: If you have never voted in Vermont before and you registered individually by mail, you must provide identification before you can vote a regular ballot: current valid photo I.D., or a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing your name and current address. If you do not provide I.D., you will be offered a provisional ballot.
CASTING A PROVISIONAL BALLOT: If you accept the offer to vote a provisional ballot, you must complete a sworn affidavit on the provisional ballot envelope swearing that you are qualified to vote in Vermont and in the polling place where you are, and that you submitted an application to register to vote before the deadline. You will be given a card explaining how you can find out if your ballot was counted one week after the election by calling the Vermont Secretary of State's Office at 1-800-439-8683.
If your name was dropped from the checklist in error, or has not been added even though you submitted an application before the deadline for applications: Explain the situation to your town clerk or presiding officer and ask that your name be added to the checklist. The town clerk or presiding officer will investigate the situation and then either have you complete a sworn affidavit and then add your name to the checklist or explain why you cannot be added.
If the town clerk or presiding officer cannot determine that you are entitled to be added to the checklist on Election Day, you may appeal to a superior court judge, who will give you a decision on Election Day OR you may vote a provisional ballot. It is your choice.
Any voter who wants assistance for any reason may bring the person of his or her choice into the voting booth to help or may ask for assistance from two election officials.
Voters who cannot get from the car into the polling place may have a ballot brought to a car outside the polls by two election officials.
Any U. S. citizen and resident of a Vermont town or city who submitted an application to register to vote before the deadline is entitled to vote regardless of race or physical ability.
THE LAW PROHIBITS THE FOLLOWING--DO NOT:
• Vote more than once per election, either in the same town or in different towns.
• Mislead the board of civil authority about your own or another person's eligibility to vote.
• Socialize in a manner that will disturb other voters inside the polling place.
• Offer a bribe, threaten, or intimidate a person to vote for a candidate.
• Hinder or interfere with the progress of a voter going into or from a polling place. Vermont law provides that a person cannot campaign within a polling place, but does NOT specify any number of feet that campaigners need to be away from the polls outside. The presiding officer will set reasonable rules for where campaigners can stand.
The Election Officials at the polling place are here to serve you.
If you have any questions, or need assistance while voting, ask your town clerk or any election official for help.
If you do not understand something, or you believe a mistake has been made that has not been corrected, or you have a question that cannot be answered to your satisfaction at the polling place:
Call the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State
1-800-439-VOTE (439-8683)
(Accessible by TDD)
If you believe that any of your voting rights have been violated, you may call the Elections Division at 800-439-8683 or (802) 828-2363. You may also file an Administrative Complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633-1101.
If you believe you have witnessed efforts to commit any kind of fraud or corruption in the voting process, you may report this to your local United States Attorney’s Office, the County State’s Attorney or the Vermont Attorney General.
If you have witnessed actual or attempted acts of discrimination or intimidation in the voting process, you may report this to the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice at (800) 253-3931.
VOTING PROCESS--INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTERS
• Go to the entrance checklist table, give your name, and if asked, your street address to the election official in a loud voice.
• Wait until your name is repeated and checked off by the official.
• If you want to use the Vote-by-Telephone voting system to hear an audio ballot instead of marking a paper ballot, tell the entrance checklist official at this time. An election official will take you to a tabletop voting booth with the telephone, will call the system, enter a security code and a ballot code, and then hand the telephone to you for you to press any number to begin voting. More details about how you can practice and preview this telephone voting system are available on our website at http://www.sec.state.vt.us, click on Elections, then click on Voters, then click on Vote-by-Telephone.
• Take the ballot from the election official and enter a voting booth. Once inside the voting booth, mark your ballot for each race.
• To vote for a candidate, fill in the oval to the right of the name of the candidate. Do not vote for more candidates than the “Vote for not more than #” for each or office. If you vote for more than the “Vote for not more than #,” your vote will not count for that race.
• WRITE-IN candidate(s). To vote for someone whose name is not
printed on the ballot, use the blank "write-in" line on the ballot and either write in the name or paste on a sticker, then fill in the oval.
• If you make a mistake or change your mind, DO NOT try to erase. Return your spoiled ballot and ASK an election official for a new ballot. If you make a mistake again, you may ask for another ballot and you may want to ask for assistance. Each voter may have up to 3 ballots.
• To cast your voted ballot: either insert your voted ballot into the tabulator machine, or in a hand count town, fold your voted ballot and insert it into the ballot box.
• Go to the exit checklist table, if any, and state your name. Wait until your name is repeated and checked off by the official.
• Leave the voting area immediately by passing outside the guardrail.
• All voters who are in line at the polling place at 7p.m. will be permitted to vote. No voter can enter the polling place to vote after 7p.m

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