Ballot access requirements for political parties in Vermont

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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.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of May 2024, Vermont officially recognized five political parties: the Democratic, Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party, Libertarian, Progressive, and Republican parties.
  • In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are called political party designations. Vermont allows candidates to use political party designations.

    • To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Vermont, see this article.

    DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

    Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

    Seal of Vermont

    DocumentIcon.jpg 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]

    To become a minor party, the party must first be organized in at least 10 Vermont towns. Parties must meet organizational and filing requirements in order to be recognized by the state as a political party.[2]

    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 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 1,000, the town chair must also publish a notice in a newspaper having general circulation in the town.[3]

    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.[3]

    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.[4]

    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 3 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.[5][6]

    1. Immediately after the town committee has been elected, the first meeting of the town committee must be held.[7]

    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:

    1. secretary of state
    2. state party chair
    3. 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. The county committee must then meet no more than 30 days after the date of the town caucus.[8]

    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 county committee elects its own five officers and delegates to the state committee. Delegates to the state committee include the chair of the county committee,and at least two additional members, one male and one female, elected by the county committee. Elected delegates need not be county committee members, although they must be voters of the county.[9][10][11]

    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:

    1. secretary of state
    2. county clerk
    3. state party chair

    A county committee is not considered organized until it has filed the material required with these officials.[12][13]

    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 seven days before the meeting date. The state committee of the party also elects officers.[14][15]

    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 in at least 10 towns for minor party status. 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.[16][17]

    Party bylaws

    Every committee of a political party is authorized to adopt rules and bylaws. Every rule or bylaw may be amended by simple majority vote of those present and voting at any meeting of the committee, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment is given to all committee members at least seven days prior to the meeting. All rules, bylaws, and amendments must be filed with the secretary of state.[18]

    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 10 towns in Vermont, and has complied with the organizational requirements of the law.[19][20][20]

    Political parties

    See also: List of political parties in the United States

    As of May 2024, there were five recognized political parties in Vermont.[21]

    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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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45," accessed March 27, 2014
    2. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2381," accessed March 26, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2303," accessed March 27, 2014
    4. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2304," accessed March 27, 2014
    5. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed March 27, 2014
    6. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45--2316," accessed March 27, 2014
    7. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2305," accessed March 27, 2014
    8. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45--2318," accessed March 27, 2014
    9. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2309," accessed March 27, 2014
    10. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2310," accessed March 27, 2014
    11. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed March 27, 2014
    12. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2311," accessed March 27, 2014
    13. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2315," accessed March 27, 2014
    14. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2312," accessed March 27, 2014
    15. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2314," accessed March 27, 2014
    16. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2381(b)," accessed March 27, 2014
    17. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2313," accessed March 27, 2014
    18. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2315," accessed March 27, 2014
    19. ↑ Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2313," accessed March 27, 2014
    20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Vermont Election Law, "Title 17-45-2321," accessed March 27, 2014
    21. ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Parties & Party Organization," accessed May 15, 2024
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