Fun Factoids on Vermont Primary Tracker are provided by the Vermont Office of the Secretary of State.

Week of March 2

It's everyone's right to vote! By federal law, all polling places must be accessible. There are many options to help make voting an independent and private exercise:

• Sick or disabled voters may choose curbside voting by asking election officials to come to their car directly outside the polling place.
• Voters may get a new ballot to correct a mistake. If a voter marks a ballot improperly, or wants to change her/his vote before putting the ballot in the box, s/he can ask for a new ballot.
• Voters may have help. A voter can bring a person in to help, simply by telling the election official that they have someone to help them with the voting process, so long as that person is not the voter's employer, or a union representative. Alternately, the voter can ask an election worker for help, including assistance putting their ballot into the ballot box or optical scan machine.
• Voters may use Vote-By-Phone (at the polls) technology by ask the town clerk or election official for information and assistance with this voting method.

Week of Feb. 24

To vote in Vermont's Presidential Primary this year, a voter must be registered with the town clerk in the town in which s/he lives by 5:00 pm, Wednesday, February 27, 2008.

Week of Feb. 17

In Vermont Presidential Primary elections, voters must choose a ballot from one political party before voting. And the voter's choice must be recorded.

Vermont law clearly states that the entrance checklist for the Presidential Primary must be marked with a "D" or "R" by the election official, to indicate which major party ballot, Democratic or Republican, was requested by each voter. Likewise, Early Absentee Voters must declare which major party ballot s/he would like. The election official then marks the checklist accordingly, and sends the voter only the one ballot for the election.

For the 2008 presidential election, a Liberty Union candidate did file Presidential Petitions in Vermont and will be on the ballot in March. Therefore, the election official must mark the checklist for the Presidential Primary with a "D," "R," or "L" to indicate which major party ballot was requested by each voter, whether Early Absentee, or at the polls on Vermont Primary Election Day.

Week of Feb. 10

One Vote Makes a Difference...

1941: One vote made the term for selective service 2 ½ years instead of 1.

Week of Feb. 3

One Vote Makes a Difference...

In 1920, Tennessee ratified the 19th amendment, which allowed women to vote, by one vote. Tennessee was the last state needed for ratification.

Week of Jan. 27

One Vote Makes a Difference...

In 1876, one electoral vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency. The man who cast that one vote was an Indiana congressman who was also elected by one vote.

Week of Jan. 20

One Vote Makes a Difference...

1850: One vote made California a state.
1859: One vote made Oregon a state.
1889: One vote made Washington a state.
1890: One vote made Idaho a state.

Week of Jan. 13

One Vote Makes a Difference...

1844: A farmer in Switzerland County, Indiana named Freeman Clark was seriously ill on Election Day. He had his son carry him to the county seat so he could vote for David Kelso for state senator. Clark died on the way home from the polling place. David Kelso was elected state senator by one vote.

1844: Back when state senates elected U.S. senators, the Indiana state senate elected Edward Hannigan for U.S. senate by one vote; that vote was David Kelso's.

1845: One vote made Texas a state. This vote was cast by U.S. senator Edward Hannigan, who was elected by the one vote of Indiana state senator David Kelso, who was elected by the one vote of citizen Freeman Clark.

Week of Jan. 6

One Vote Makes a Difference...

1645: One vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
1649: One vote caused Charles 1 of England to be executed.
1714: One vote placed King George 1 on the throne in England and restored the monarchy.
1776: One vote gave America the English language instead of German.
1800: One vote kept Aaron Burr, later charged with treason, from becoming president.

Week of Dec. 23

According to a recent article in the burlingtonfreepress.com, one in every five voters is over the age of 65. In the 2000 presidential election, 70% of those over age 65 voted, compared to 32% between the ages of 18 and 24.

Week of Dec. 16

Vermont statutes allow a Presidential candidate who cannot pay the $2000 registration fee to file an affidavit that neither the candidate nor the candidate's committee have the funds to pay the $2000 fee and the Secretary shall waive all but $300 of the fee.

Week of Dec. 9

In order to be on the Vermont Presidential Primary Ballot, candidates must file a petition with the Secretary of State's Office. The petition must have the signatures of 1,000 legally registered voters, and the candidate must pay a filing fee of $2,000.

Also, the candidate must file by the deadline specific to each election. The deadline for filing as a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Primary in Vermont is 5:00, Monday, Jan. 21.

Week of Dec. 2

In Vermont, it is the The Secretary of State's Office that oversees Elections. This is not true in all states.

In Utah state government, there is no Secretary of State. Instead, the Lieutenant Governor is charged with many of those responsibilities, including oversight of Elections. In several other states there is a State Board of Elections, often run by a Director of Elections, and independent of the Secretary of State's Office. And still a few other states have bi-partisan commissions to oversee Elections.