Vermont candidates hit 63% compliance at October 15 finance deadline

Vermont candidates filed 63% of required disclosures or affidavits by the October 15 deadline, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas reported on October 27 in the 2026 Campaign Finance Transparency Report. The report covers filings due as of that date.

State law requires candidates for non-federal statewide, General Assembly, and county offices to register with the Secretary of State's Campaign Finance System before filing paperwork for a Vermont primary or general election ballot, under 17 V.S.A. § 2921. The report shows 98% of candidates met that registration requirement. After registering, candidates must disclose campaign activity at set intervals. Campaigns that raised or spent less than $500 in the cycle with no rollover funds may sign an affidavit instead.

Statewide candidates filed at a 52% rate by October 15, up from 50% at the same deadline in 2024. General Assembly candidates filed 73%, compared with 69% in 2024. County office filings rose from 0% in 2024 to 34% this year. High bailiff was the only county office on the ballot in 2024.

The report identifies which candidates have registered in the Campaign Finance System and which have not. It also lists, by office, which registered candidates filed an October 15 disclosure and which did not. State law requires registration before a candidate may file paperwork to appear on a Vermont primary or general election ballot.

The report compares two datasets on the Secretary of State's website: filings due by the October 15 deadline and candidates filed to run in the 2026 General Election for state office, General Assembly, or county office.

"It's important to make this information available to voters in the run up to the November 3 General Election," Copeland Hanzas said. "Campaign finance transparency is a fundamental part of supporting an informed electorate and a healthy democracy."

Three filing deadlines remain this season: October 30, November 17, and December 15. Filings are posted at sos.vermont.gov under the Elections Division's Campaign Finance System, where disclosure reports and mass media reports from candidates and political action committees can be downloaded.