The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 17 : Elections
Chapter 049 : Nominations
Subchapter 003 : INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
(Cite as: 17 V.S.A. § 2403)-
§ 2403. Number of candidates; party names
(a)(1) A statement of nomination shall contain the name of only one candidate, except in the case of presidential and vice presidential candidates, who may be nominated by means of the same statement of nomination.
(2) A single statement of nomination shall contain only one office for which a person seeks to be a candidate.
(b)(1) The political or other name on a statement of nomination shall be substantially different from the name of any organized political party. It shall also be substantially different from the political or other name already appearing on any other statement of nomination for the same office then on file with the same officer for the same election.
(2) If the Secretary of State determines that it is not substantially different, the candidate named on the statement shall select a different political or other name; otherwise the Secretary shall print the word “Independent” on the ballot for that candidate.
(c)(1) Except in the case of presidential and vice presidential candidates, the word “independent” may not be used as part of a party name.
(2) If no party is indicated, the word “Independent” shall be printed on the ballot.
(3) A candidate appearing on the ballot as a candidate of a political party shall not also appear on the ballot as an “Independent.” (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 33; 1985, No. 196 (Adj. Sess.), § 10; 2001, No. 5, § 15; 2017, No. 50, § 18; 2019, No. 67, § 10.)
