It’s a big one. By Tuesday night, Vermonters will have decided on their next members of Congress, state executives and legislators, as well as two proposed amendments to the state constitution.
The results could include two historic milestones. Vermont, which is the last state to send a woman to Congress, could do so on Tuesday if voters elect Becca Balint, the Democratic nominee for Vermont’s open U.S. House seat — or her Libertarian opponent Ericka Redic.
Voters could also make Vermont the first state in the nation to elect to enshrine reproductive rights in its constitution. Approval of either of this year’s ballot measures would mark the first amendment to the Vermont Constitution since 2010.
Roughly a third of the state’s electorate may have already voted. As of Friday, 150,202 mail-in ballots had already been returned to town and city clerks, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office. That’s out of roughly 500,000 registered voters. This year marks Vermont’s first general election since universal mail-in voting became law in 2021.
But many will still head to the polls on Tuesday to vote in person, and results will only be available after polls close at 7 p.m. Here’s what you need to know.
Voting on Election Day
All U.S. citizens who will be 18 or older on Tuesday are eligible to vote. And if you’re not registered, don’t sweat it: You can register at your polling place on Election Day.
Find your polling location using the Secretary of State’s MyVoterPage or use the address lookup tool on vote.org.
Polls open at various times from 5-10 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
If possible, bring the ballot you received in the mail. Otherwise, you’ll need to sign a sworn statement affirming that you haven’t already voted.
Read more Election Day FAQs from the Secretary of State’s office.
Ballot measures
Vermont voters will find two proposed amendments to the state constitution at the top of this year’s general election ballot.
Each proposal has been passed by the Vermont House and Senate twice, over two consecutive two-year sessions. If a majority of voters decides in favor of a proposal, it will become part of the Vermont Constitution later this year.
Proposal 2
Also known as Article 1, the first question on this year’s ballot is intended to clarify Vermont’s prohibition on slavery and indentured servitude. While some lawmakers have questioned the proposal’s potential efficacy and raised concerns about how it could impact modern forms of underpaid labor, racial justice advocates have hailed the measure as a necessary correction. Read more about Proposal 2.
Proposal 5
Also known as Article 22, this amendment would enshrine “personal reproductive autonomy” — including the right to choose or refuse abortion, contraception or sterilization — in the state constitution. The proposal has drawn significant attention since the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to abortion and returning authority over the issue to states. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, Vermont is one of three states, including California and Michigan, that are voting this Election Day on constitutional amendments that would make explicit the right to abortion. Read more about Proposal 5.
Congressional races
Vermont’s congressional representation is poised to change for the first time in 16 years thanks to the retirement of Democrat Patrick Leahy after nearly a half-century in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate
In the race for Leahy’s seat, Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch is facing off against newcomer Gerald Malloy, a Republican and U.S. Army veteran who gained the endorsement of former president Donald Trump in the final week of the campaign. Malloy defeated the more moderate Christina Nolan in an upset win during the August primary and has said he hopes to court the state’s conservative voters. Welch has made protecting democracy a central theme of his Senate campaign, and he has criticized Malloy’s sympathies for Trump and for those who protested at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Also on the ballot are Mark Coester, Natasha Diamondstone-Kohout, Stephen Duke, Dawn Marie Ellis, Cris Ericson and Kerry Patrick Raheb.
U.S. House
Welch’s Senate campaign leaves open his U.S. House seat. Becca Balint, the president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, in August defeated Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in a closely watched primary race to secure the Democratic nomination for the post. Her opponent, Liam Madden, is a self-described independent who won the Republican nomination after entering the GOP primary to gain exposure. In late October, Madden revealed that he routed donations to his own campaign through his family members in order to gain access to primary debates, a move that campaign finance experts said was likely illegal. Ericka Redic, one of Madden’s primary rivals, is on the ballot as a Libertarian.
Also on the ballot are Matt Druzba, Adam Ortiz and Luke Talbot.
Statewide races
Governor
Republican Phil Scott is running for a fourth term as Vermont governor, while Democrat Brenda Siegel has used a longshot bid to raise questions about his record. Scott has argued that his administration has made progress on issues like the state’s workforce and housing shortages, and that efforts still underway to address those issues will take time to show results. Siegel, who stepped into the race after no other Democrats moved to challenge Scott, has used a tenacious campaign to criticize the governor, raising issues with his vetoes of climate and opioid legislation and arguing that he has failed to live up to his promise to make the state more affordable.
Housing has been an area of focus for both candidates, with Scott touting historic investments in construction and Siegel advocating for more measures to protect renters. The campaign has also put a spotlight on Scott’s tenuous relationship with the state Republican Party: While the governor has distanced himself from candidates on the party’s conservative fringe, the ability to sustain his vetoes depends on GOP candidates winning enough legislative seats.
Also on the ballot are Peter Duval, Kevin Hoyt and Bernard Peters.
Lieutenant governor
Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman, who served as lieutenant governor for two terms before unsuccessfully challenging Scott for the governor’s office in 2020, is running to reclaim his old job. His Republican competitor, state Sen. Joe Benning, is a veteran lawmaker and Scott ally who has vowed that if he wins the office, he does not intend to use it as a springboard to higher office. The longtime colleagues have diverged over topics including Act 250, criminal justice reform, climate change, child care and the role of the lieutenant governor’s office.
Also on the ballot is Ian G. Diamondstone.
State treasurer
Democrat Mike Pieciak, former commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, ran unopposed in the primary and faces only token opposition from perennial Republican candidate H. Brooke Paige. But Pieciak has nonetheless run a vigorous campaign, leading some to speculate that he is considering a run for higher office. The Democrat has also had to clarify how he aims to divest the state’s pension funds from fossil fuels and reckon with his role regulating the state’s scandal-plagued EB-5 projects.
Secretary of state
Democrat Sarah Copeland Hanzas, a longtime state representative and chair of the House Committee on Government Operations, says she aims to use the secretary of state’s office to combat voter cynicism and disengagement. Her Republican opponent, H. Brooke Paige, argues that officials have not sufficiently answered questions about the integrity of the country’s elections.
Auditor of accounts
Democrat/Progressive incumbent Doug Hoffer, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, is seeking his sixth term as state auditor. Hoffer is being challenged by Republican Rick Morton of Brattleboro.
Attorney general
Democrat Charity Clark, who served as chief of staff to former attorney general TJ Donovan, is facing off with Republican Mike Tagliavia, a political newcomer who is not an attorney, and who the party nominated after the primary.
Legislative races
While Democrats are expected to retain solid majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, the outcome of Tuesday’s local races could shape the party’s ability to pass priority legislation in the next biennium. Democrats are seeking at least a two-thirds majority in each chamber in order to safely override gubernatorial vetoes, should Republican Gov. Phil Scott win another term. The Vermont GOP, meanwhile, hopes to secure enough seats to block Democrats from doing so.
Many local races have also been defined by the effects of this year’s once-a-decade redistricting process, as well as a wave of retirements that left vacant a significant number of seats.
Vermont Senate
Competitive Senate races include:
- Chittenden North, where Democrat Irene Wrenner and Rep. Leland Morgan, R-Milton, are running to represent the new district.
- Chittenden Central, Vermont’s most diverse district, where Democrat Martine Gulick; independent Infinite Culceasure; Sen. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden; and Rep. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Essex have emphasized equity in their campaign platforms.
- Franklin, where Democrat Pam McCarthy, Republican incumbent Randy Brock, Democrat Jessie Nakuma Palczewski and Republican Rep. Robert Norris are competing for two seats. It’s been a decade since Franklin district voters sent a Democrat to the Senate, and the party holds just one of the county’s current seats in the House.
- Orange, where Republican John Klar is taking on Sen. Mark MacDonald, D-Orange, who’s held the post for decades. Redistricting, Klar’s digital footprint and MacDonald’s health have contributed to a hotly contested race.
- Rutland, where three Democrats — Anna Tadio, Bridgette Remington and Joshua Ferguson — are going head-to-head with three Republicans — incumbent Brian Collamore, David Weeks and Terry Williams — in the battleground district, where two of the three incumbent senators are not seeking reelection.
- Windham, where both of the county’s posts are open for the first time in two decades. Democrats Wendy Harrison andNader Hashim, Republicans Richard “Rick” Kenyon and Richard “Rick” Morton, and independents Mark Coester and Tim Wessel are on the ballot.
Vermont House
Competitive House races include:
- Bennington-Rutland, where William Gaoitti, a Republican from Mount Tabor, has sought the support of moderates. He’s facing off against Dorset Democrat Mike Rice, who has made affordability and the climate crisis his key issues.
- Franklin-6, where Democrat Brenda Churchill is giving Republican Rep. James Gregoire his first competition since he won his seat four years ago.
- Franklin-8, where Democrat Lauren Dees-Erickson said she was compelled to run for office after redistricting placed her in a single-member district represented by a Republican, Rep. Casey Toof.
- Lamoille-1, Vermont’s most expensive House race, where Democrat Scott Weathers is battling with Jed Lipsky, an independent, for an open seat that’s been held by a Republican for 16 years.
- Orleans-4, where Reps. Katherine Sims, D-Craftsbury, and Vicki Strong, R-Albany, are competing in a redrawn district in the only race in the state where one incumbent is guaranteed to lose their seat.
- Orange-1, where Carl Demrow and Samantha Lefebvre are facing off for the second time in a newly single-member district after battling in 2020.
- Rutland-2, a four-way race for two seats, in which former public school teacher and legislator Dave Potter is hoping to win back his district from conservative Rep. Art Peterson, R-Clarendon. Incumbent Tom Burditt, R-West Rutland, and Democrat Ken Fredette are also competing.
- Rutland-3, where Republican candidate Jerrod Sammis’ online past has drawn criticism from Democrats. Sammis is competing with Democrat Mary Droege, a faculty member at Castleton University, to represent the newly redrawn district.
- Rutland-Bennington, where incumbent Republican Sally Achey faces Democrat Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, a former progressive who she ousted in 2020.
Stay tuned to VTDigger.org for live coverage throughout Election Day.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misidentified an Orange County House district and misstated U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s tenure.