State of Vermont

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Office of the Secretary of State

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[SERIES INDEX]

There are basically five categories of responsibilities for justices of the peace.

1. You serve as a member of the board of civil authority, which by law is responsible for adding and removing names from the checklist, and for serving collectively as the local election officials at any municipal or state election. As a justice, you also are responsible for delivering absentee ballots to voters at election time.

2. You have a responsibility in the town's tax appeal process. As a member of the board of civil authority, you sit to hear the tax appeals of citizens aggrieved by the final decision of the listers. You also sit as a member of the municipal board for abatement of taxes.

3. You may solemnize marriages in Vermont.

4. You may administer oaths in all cases where an oath is required, unless the law makes a different provision.

5. Finally, you may serve as a magistrate when so commissioned by the supreme court.

Each of these responsibilities is specifically described in the following sections.

NEXT: CHECKLIST MAINTENENCE

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