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Ballot access requirements for political parties in Vermont
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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.
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Although there are hundreds of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.
To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Vermont, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Title 17-45 of the Vermont Election Law
In order to organize a recognized political party in Vermont, in each odd-numbered year, voters must organize a political party at the town, county, and state levels. A major political party must organize at all three levels, while a minor political party is not required to organize at the county level.[1] Parties must meet organizational and filing requirements in order to be recognized by the state as a political party.[2]
Definitions
According to 17 V.S.A. § 2103:[3]
| “ |
“Political party” is any group of individuals that has organized and filed its certificate of organization with the Secretary of State, pursuant to chapter 45 of this title. (A) A “major political party” is a political party whose candidate for any State office in the most recent general election polled at least five percent of the vote cast for that office. (B) A “minor political party” is any political party that is not a major political party.[4] |
” |
Organizing a new party
Town caucuses
To begin organizing a minor party at the town level, three interested voters in a Vermont town who seek to organize a party must designate one of their own as the town party chair. The town chair must then set the date, place, time, and purpose of the town caucus. At least five days before the day of the caucus, the town chair must post a notice of the caucus in the town clerk's office and in at least one other public place in town. In towns with populations greater than 5,000, the town chair must also publish a notice in a newspaper having general circulation in the town.[5]
The caucus must be held in a public place within the town. Although "public place" is not defined in the law, the caucus can be held at any stated location where the general public is welcome. It should be a place that is both familiar to voters in town and accessible to them. In very small towns, a house can be used, if it is familiar and accessible to voters and if no other public space is available.[5]
Town committees
At a town caucus, voters of the party in the town will meet and proceed to elect a town committee to serve for the following two years or until their successors are elected. The most recent town checklist should be used to determine who may participate. There is no set number of committee members. The number is determined by each town caucus. Election to the town committee gives members the right to vote on matters before the committee.[6]
The officers of the town committee must include a chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and assistant treasurer. They need not be elected members of the town committee to be elected as officers, although they become members after they are elected. Each officer position must be filled. There must be at least three voters present at a caucus to create a committee. A person may serve in more than one office, but the same person cannot serve as chair and vice-chair, or as treasurer and vice-treasurer. If there is a contest for nomination, recommendation, or election to any office or position at any committee level, the law requires that a secret ballot be used.[7][8]
- Immediately after the town committee has been elected, the first meeting of the town committee must be held.[9]
The principal responsibility of the town committee is to elect officers and to elect delegates to the state committee if the party seeks minor political party status.
Within 72 hours of the town caucus, the chair and secretary of the town committee must mail a copy of the notice calling the caucus and a certified list of names and addresses of officers and members of the town committee to the following individuals:
- secretary of state
- state party chair
- town clerk
County committees
A minor party can choose not to organize at the county level and send delegates from town committees directly to a state committee. However, if a minor party desires to nominate state senate candidates, the party must organize at the county level. At least two members of a county committee may be elected by each town committee.[10]
Notice of the meeting must be published in at least two newspapers with general circulation in the state. The county chair elected by the town committees will set the hour and place of the meeting and will notify all delegates by mail no less than 10 days before the meeting. The number of delegates to the county committee that each town caucus elects is apportioned by the State committee based upon the number of votes cast for the party’s candidate for Governor in the last election. Delegates to the state committee include the chair of the county committee, and at least two additional members elected by the county committee. Elected delegates need not be county committee members, although they must be voters of the county.[11][12][13]
Within 72 hours of the first meeting of the county committee, its chair and secretary must mail a copy of the notice calling the meeting and a certified list of the names and mailing addresses of the officers of the county committee and the delegates to the state committee to the following individuals:
- secretary of state
- county clerk
- state party chair
A county committee is not considered organized until it has filed the material required with these officials.[14][15]
State committees
The state committee must meet at a time, place, and date set by the state chair. The state chair is required to notify all members of the state committee in writing at least 10 days before the meeting date. The state committee of the party also elects officers.[16][17]
Within 10 days of the first meeting of the state committee, the chair and secretary must file the certification form stating that the party has elected officers and completed its organization. The certificate must include the names and addresses of all the officers and all members of the state committee. A copy of the notice calling the first meeting of the state committee must also be filed with this certification. The rules or by-laws of the state party must also be filed. The secretary of state will notify all state chairs when their filings are complete or, if they are incomplete, what is needed to complete certification.[18][19]
Filing deadline
The chair and secretary of the party's state committee must file a certificate of organization by January 1 of the year of the election stating that the party has completed its organization for the ensuing two years, that it has organized in at least 30 towns in Vermont, and has complied with the organizational requirements of the law.[20][21][21]
Nominations
Major political parties nominate candidates to the general election ballot by primary.[22]
Minor political parties nominate candidates to the general election ballot by party committee.[23]
Political parties
As of May 2024, there were five recognized political parties in Vermont.[24]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Vermont | Link | Party platform |
| Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Vermont | Link | Party platform |
| Progressive Party of Vermont | Link | Party platform |
| Republican Party of Vermont | Link | Party platform |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Vermont
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Vermont
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Vermont
- Republican Party of Vermont
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2381," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "17 V.S.A. § 2103," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2303," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2304," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45--2316," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2305," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45--2318," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2309," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2310," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2311," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2315," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2312," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2381(b)," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2313," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2313," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2321," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "17 V.S.A. § 2351," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "17 V.S.A. § 2381," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Parties & Party Organization," accessed May 15, 2024
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