How to's and What if's for March 3, 2026, Town Meeting Day:
How to's and What if's for March 3, 2026, Town Meeting Day:
I can't get to the polls that day: You may come to town hall during business hours (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 8-4) to get a ballot for the town officers and/or the school votes. OR: A family member or health care official may sign for your ballots and take them to you. OR: 2 Justices of the Peace or election officials will bring the ballots to your home in Washington on Town Meeting Day but only if you make the request to the town clerk by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 2, 2026. 1-802-883-2218, or washingtontownclerk@gmail.com. All emails are automatically date and time stamped.
How do I return my voted ballots if I pick them up: You may fill them out right then at the town hall, OR you may take them with you and return them to either Harry or myself, OR put them in the outside ballot box by 7 a.m. March 3, OR mail them to the town clerk's office. All early/absentee ballots will be issued with an envelope for you to sign. Any that come in via USPS must also be received by 7 p.m. Postmarks do not count if the ballots are not in our hands.
What is the due date and time: All ballots MUST be received no later than 7 p.m. on March 3, 2026. We will lock the town hall outside ballot box at 7 a.m. on Town Meeting Day; therefore if you still have an early/absentee ballot you must bring it to the school that day. If we don't have the voted ballots in hand by 7 p.m., we are not allowed to count them.
I forgot to request an absentee/early ballot by the deadline and I can't get to the polling place: A family member or healthcare official may come to the polling place (the Washington School gym) on Town Meeting Day to sign for your ballots, take them to you, and return them to the polling place by 7 p.m.
What if I'm in line to vote at 7 pm: Anyone in the check-in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. There is absolutely no allowing of anyone to get in line or sign in after 7 p.m., this is by state statute.
How do I vote on articles from the floor: You must attend the town meeting in person in order to vote from the floor. None of the warned articles are on a ballot. Because discussion is fluid and there may be amendments, there is no way to anticipate ahead of time how the final language would go.
How can I get my voice heard during Town Meeting: The moderator will explain the process at the beginning of the meeting.
When do I hear who won what: The ballots will be taken to the town hall, sorted by town and school votes, and counted by Justices of the Peace and election officials. I will post the results on here and on washingtonvt.org.
Voting with ballots at the Washington Village School gym is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Town Meeting with floor votes begins at 2 p.m. and ends when all articles have been discussed and voted on.