By VDC Staff

A printing vendor delay has forced the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office to abandon plans to mail a printed voter guide to every active registered voting household ahead of the November 3 general election.

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced Friday, October 16, that the 2026 Vermont Voter Guide is available online instead. The office had planned to send voters printed guides tailored to their local election districts, but a delay by the printing contractor prompted a change in plans.

“The vision was to have a district-specific printed Voter Guide mailed to Vermonters. I am disappointed that could not occur this year for logistical reasons,” Copeland Hanzas said.

Instead of the printed guides, the Secretary of State’s Office has mailed postcards to households explaining how to access the online version.

The announcement did not identify the printing vendor, explain the cause of the delay, or say how much money had been committed to producing and mailing the printed guides.

The Secretary of State’s Office first introduced a statewide voter guide during the 2024 general election. The guide provides information about candidates, their positions, the offices they seek, and issues appearing on the ballot.

“When I talk to Vermonters who say they aren’t voting, they tell me it’s because they don’t know the candidates or the issues on the ballot,” Copeland Hanzas said. “Vermonters don’t want to vote in ignorance. This Universal Voter Guide empowers people to vote.”

The online version provides information tailored to each of Vermont’s 283 district-specific ballots, including statements and contact information from statewide, legislative and county candidates.

It also includes information about the two proposed constitutional amendments appearing on this year’s ballot.

Voters can access the guide through the state’s interactive voting information map by entering their address, or through the Vermont Voter Portal.

“This shift in strategy does not change our office’s commitment to providing a standardized, non-partisan guide with information about everything that’s on your ballot, including the local candidates,” Copeland Hanzas said.

The printing problem does not affect the mailing of general election ballots, which the state says have already been sent to all active registered voters.

Voters who have not received their ballots should contact their town or city clerk. Replacement ballots are available after voters sign an affidavit intended to prevent double voting. Voters can also track their ballots through the Vermont Voter Portal.

The November 3 election includes races for governor, lieutenant governor, Vermont’s seat in the U.S. House, other statewide offices, all 30 State Senate seats, all 150 House seats, and numerous county and local offices.

The two proposed constitutional amendments will also be decided by voters.