The short version
Vermont holds an August primary. You get on the ballot at every level by filing a Consent of Candidate form and a petition with registered-voter signatures. There is no filing fee — ballot access is petition-based.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor, Attorney General); the State Senate and the 150-member House; and county offices (sheriff, state's attorney, assistant judges, and others).
- How to get on the ballot
- File a Consent of Candidate form and the required petition signatures with the appropriate filing officer during the filing window — statewide candidates need 500 signatures, state senate 100, state representative 50, and county offices 100. Non-federal statewide candidates also file their most recent IRS Form 1040.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Vermont Secretary of State — Elections Division
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office; the official Vermont resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Find your Vermont county
Every county runs its own filing office and its own local races. See all 14 Vermont counties, each with its election office, fees, deadlines and local facts.
The 2027 ballot in Vermont.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
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March 2, 2027
Municipal General — Town.
Town Meeting Day: town clerks, selectboard members, listers, auditors, constables and other town officers, plus town and union school district directors.
Candidate filing: closes Jan 25, 2027.
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the county election office before you act on it.
Official Vermont candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle. Note: 2026 filing has closed in most states, so these resources govern the standing rules; check the official calendar for your next filing window.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Vermont is fully available; see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Vermont race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors": voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.