Will we set a new voting record?

The presidential election is a week away and Vermonters have already broken one voting record. Forty percent of voting age Vermonters have cast an absentee ballot so far, according to Vermont’s Election Division, breaking the 2008 record of 19 percent. Now let’s break one more – total voter participation rate.

In 1992 Vermont saw its largest voter participation rate in the last 46 years. Seventy percent of the voting-age population came out to cast their ballot for president. For comparison, 63 percent of possible Vermont voters went to the polls in 2016.

This year we can break our previous record. With over 208,000 votes already in, a little over 154,000 more votes are needed to surpass the 70 percent participation mark.

While COVID-19 has threatened to make voting more difficult this year, Vermont’s Elections Division has put in safeguards to ensure that no one is disenfranchised. If you have not yet voted, or know someone who has not voted, please keep in mind:

• You can still register to vote online before election day or in person at the polls.

• Early voter absentee ballots can be dropped off at the town clerk’s office during regular business hours. On election day, you can bring your ballot to your polling location before 7pm. All polling places will be open as normal. Remember to wear your mask to protect your neighbor and yourself.

• People who are sick or have a disability can have a ballot delivered to them on Election Day by two justices of the peace, if requested by the day before the election. Contact your town clerk.

For more information, visit the Vermont Secretary of State’s election FAQ page.

Let’s set a new record together!