What to know about Vermont’s primary election on Tuesday

Vermonters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a primary that features far fewer competitive statewide races than last cycle but many high-interest races lower down on the ballot.

You have questions, and we have the answers in VTDigger’s Primary Election Guide .

Here’s just a sampling: Can I vote in the primary on election day, even if I’m not registered?

Yes. All U.S. citizens who will be 18 or older on Nov. 5 are eligible to vote in the primary. You must be registered to vote, but you can register at your local polling place. (Find yours .) If you registered online within the last few days, you may still be required to fill out an additional paper registration form. Unlike in some other states, Vermont voters can pull a ballot of their choosing. No party registration required.

Who is running in my district? (What even is my district?) All you need to know is the county where you live and you can find them, along with your candidates’ answers to our questions and the details of their latest campaign finance reports .

For some offices, just to be frank, there isn’t going to be much of a choice until the general election in November. Only two statewide races feature competitive primaries, and neither the state Democratic or Republican party has fielded more than one candidate for U.S. Senate or U.S. House, both Dems are incumbents — Rep. Becca Balint and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

But there are some hotly contested races on the local level, including a challenge to Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro , the chair of one of the House’s two budget writing committees.

Incumbents are also facing primary challenges in five Senate district races that we’ve written about: Addison County ; Chittenden-Central ; Chittenden-Southeast , Windsor County and Grand Isle County , though in the latter case the incumbent has been seated for less than three months.

In three other districts, two retirements and one death have left the races wide open. Primaries will define the general election dynamics in the Northeast Kingdom districts of Caledonia and Orleans counties . In Bennington County , several Democratic candidates are vying to win a write-in campaign against Democratic Sen. Dick Sears, who died suddenly in June but remains on the ballot.

Statewide, the most active race is for spot number two. Lieutenant Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive/Democrat, is facing a challenge from Thomas Renner, deputy mayor of Winooski, in the Democratic primary. The Republican candidate for the position could be John Rodgers, formerly a Democratic state senator, or frequent statewide candidate Gregory Thayer, a staunch backer of former President Donald Trump.

Finally, Tuesday’s voting will decide the Democratic nominee for governor , who will have the unenviable task of competing against popular incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott in November. Will it be “Democrat through and through” Esther Charlestin or “fusion candidate” Peter Duval?

Check back tomorrow evening for election results.

Read the story on VTDigger here: What to know about Vermont’s primary election on Tuesday .