County Offices

• State's Attorney - Franklin County's state's attorney is the chief prosecutor in the county. The prosecutor is said to represent the people of the jurisdiction in the county's courts, typically in criminal matters, against defendants (Wikipedia). In Vermont, State's Attorneys serve for 4-year terms.

• Sheriff - A sheriff is responsible for law enforcement on a county level, ensuring that all local, state, and federal laws are followed. He or she performs a role similar to that of a police chief in a municipal department, managing a department in charge of protecting people and property and maintaining order (Learn.org). In Vermont, Sheriff's serve for 4-year terms.

• High Bailiff - The duties of high bailiff are to serve writs which the sheriff is incapable of serving, such as the writ of arrest of the sheriff, and to temporarily succeed to the office of the sheriff in the event of the sheriff's incarceration or incapacity (Wikipedia). In High Bailiffs serve for 4-year terms.

Election Dates - Democratic candidates running for elected county office must first run in the Party primary to secure the Democratic nomination. Those nominees go on to compete in the General election. These elections happen in even-numbered years. You can find all election dates here.

Filing Deadlines - From the Secretary of State: "Major party candidates file a consent of candidate form. . . in order to be placed on the ballot in the Primary Election [date in August, TBD]. In order for a candidate to appear on the Primary ballot, consent of candidate and financial forms must be filed with the appropriate filing officer no sooner than [date in April, TBD], and no later than 5:00PM on [date in May, TBD]."

Am I eligible to run in the county district? If you're a citizen registered to vote in a town located inside Franklin County, yes: You're eligible to run for county office.

What paperwork do I need to file? Candidates for legislative offices need to file 1) a candidate consent form, 2) complete a petition with signatures from registered district voters, and 3) a financial disclosure form.

From the Secretary of State: "You must file your Consent of Candidate form and petition signatures on or before the deadline. This applies to major party candidates in the primary election. . ."

• Candidate Consent & Petition Forms (PDF)

How many signatures do I need? Candidates for elected county offices need 100 signatures from registered county voters. Candidates are advised to gather more than the minimum number of signatures required in the event some signatures cannot be verified.

Where do I file my paperwork? Candidates for elected county offices can file with the Franklin County Clerk (PDF).

Additional Questions - The Secretary of State's office has FAQs, forms, and petitions for local candidates on its website.