How to properly petition
Petitions for Town Meeting Articles – Town of Washington, VT
Citizens can ask to have an issue voted on at the Annual Town Meeting or a Special Town Meeting in two ways:
Ask the Selectboard to add an article to the meeting warning.
Submit a petition if the board decides not to include your article.
🗳️ Annual Town Meeting Petitions
Who can petition: Any group of registered Washington voters.
Signatures required: At least 5% of registered voters.
As of this date (12/17/25) that’s 40 signatures
Check with the Town Clerk at (802) 883-2218 for the current number.
Deadline: Petitions must be received by 5:00 PM on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Where to submit: Washington Town Clerk’s office
Legal reference: 17 V.S.A. § 2642(a)(3)(A)
📅 Special Town Meeting Petitions
When to submit: Anytime to the Town Clerk.
Signatures required: 5% of registered voters.
Once verified, the town must warn the meeting within 60 days.
17 V.S.A. § 2643(a)
📋 Rules for All Petitions
Every petition must:
Include the petition language on every page where signatures are collected.
(17 V.S.A. § 2642(a)(3)(C)(ii))
Include each voter’s printed name, signature, and street address.
(17 V.S.A. § 2642(a)(3)(C)(iii))
Petitions may contain one or more proposed articles.
(17 V.S.A. § 2642(a)(3)(C)(i))
⚖️ Types of Articles
Binding Articles
Must be placed on the warning if properly petitioned.
Examples include:
Changing the size of the Selectboard
Creating special reserve funds
Approving funding for equipment or improvements
Non-Binding (Advisory) Articles
The selectboard may include advisory articles related to town business.
The selectboard is not required to warn articles unrelated to town business.
Frivolous or Illegal Articles
The selectboard cannot include articles that:
Instruct the board to take actions it is not legally allowed to take
Attempt to override responsibilities given by state law
Examples:
Directing the board to fire an employee
Approving or adopting a local ordinance (only the selectboard can do this)
🔁 Reconsidering a Voted Article
If you disagree with the outcome of a vote:
You can file a petition signed by 5% of voters within 30 days of the vote.
The board must hold a special meeting within 60 days to reconsider the article.
Only one voter-backed reconsideration is allowed per article per year.
The selectboard itself may call additional reconsiderations (except for bonding votes).