§ 2502. Location of polling places; outdoor polling places
(a) Location. Each polling place shall be located in a public place within the town.
(b) Outdoor polling places. A polling place may be located outdoors if it can be operated in a manner consistent
with the provisions of this chapter.
(1) The board of civil authority shall designate the outdoor area that comprises the “polling
place” for purposes of restrictions and requirements for polling places imposed pursuant
to this chapter, including the restrictions on campaigning and other activities within
the building containing the polling place described in subdivisions 2508(a)(1)(A)
and (B) of this subchapter.
(2) An indoor polling place alternative shall be available at or near the same physical
location as the outdoor polling place in case of inclement weather. If conditions
require use of the indoor alternative, the Secretary of State’s office shall be notified
immediately of the change.
(3) Candidates and members of the public who would otherwise be allowed to campaign outside
an indoor polling place shall be kept a reasonable distance from the outdoor polling
place such that any campaigning does not disrupt or interfere in any way with the
voting process.
(c) Drive-up voting. Voting may be conducted by a drive-through or drive-up voting method at a polling
place if the voting process can be operated in a manner consistent with the provisions
of this chapter.
(1) Drive-up voting procedures shall enable voters to complete the voting process without
leaving their vehicles, allowing the voters to deposit their ballots directly into
a tabulator or secure ballot box that may be brought to the window of the vehicle
or located in such a manner that it can be accessed from the vehicle or providing
voters an envelope or folder in which to place their voted ballots before handing
it to an election official for processing.
(2) Polling places conducting drive-up voting shall also accommodate walk-in voters and
those using other forms of transport.
(d) Ballot transfer. If a polling place is outside or if voting is conducted by a drive-up method, ballots
may be periodically transferred from a secure outdoor or drive-up ballot box to another
secure container for counting after the close of the polls or to election officials
who are processing ballots through the tabulator. Any such transfer shall be done
in the presence of two election officials, if possible officials of different parties.
(e) Access. The accessible voting system shall be available for those who request it. Additionally,
the board of civil authority shall take such measures as are necessary to ensure that
voters who are elders or have a disability may conveniently and secretly cast their
votes. Measures that may be taken shall include: location of polling places on the
ground floor of a building; providing ramps, elevators, or other facilities for access
to the polling place; providing a stencil overlay for ballots; providing a separate
polling place with direct communication to the main polling place; and permitting
election officials to carry a ballot to an elder or to a person who has a disability
in order to permit that person to mark the ballot while in a motor vehicle adjacent
to the polling place. For purposes of this subsection, the board of civil authority
shall have full jurisdiction on the day of an election over the premises at which
a polling place is located.
(f) Polling place designation.
(1) Thirty days prior to a local, primary, or general election, the town clerk shall submit
to the Secretary of State a list of polling places within the municipality that will
be used in that election. The list shall include the name of the polling location,
its physical address, and the time the polling place will open.
(2)(A) A municipality may change the location of a polling place less than 30 days prior
to an election only in cases of emergency. If a municipality changes the location
of a polling place less than 30 days prior to the election, the town clerk shall notify
the Secretary of State within 24 hours of the change and provide the new polling place
information.
(B) The Secretary of State shall assist any municipality that needs to change the location
of a polling place on the day of an election due to an emergency, including assisting
in finding a new location and informing the public of that new location.
(C) The Secretary of State shall inform the State chairs of Vermont’s major political
parties of any changes made to polling places that he or she is aware of made less
than 30 days prior to an election.
(3) The Secretary of State shall provide on his or her official website a list of polling
places that will be used in any local, primary, or general election within the State
and shall specifically provide notice on that website of any change in the location
of a municipality’s polling place. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1985, No. 11; 1991, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 25, 1992; 2003, No. 94 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 82; 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 34; 2021, No. 60, § 2, eff. June 7, 2021; 2023, No. 6, § 86, eff. July 1, 2023.)