WATERBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermonters are gearing up to hit the polls for Tuesday’s primary election. So who can you expect to see on the ballot? And what do you have to have to do to make your voice heard?

The primaries are essentially the semifinals and will determine who makes it onto the November ballot. But unlike last election cycle, it’s expected to be a calmer election.

It’s back to the polls for the lead up to the November election.

If you haven’t requested or turned in an absentee ballot, you have to now vote in person at your local polling place. You will have to fill out and return one of three major party ballots.

“When two different candidates with different ideas about how Republicans should fill this office or how Democrats should fill that office are vying for a spot on the ballot in November,” said Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Vt. Secretary of State.

Democrats, who hold almost every statewide office and a supermajority in the House and Senate, will try to maintain their majority to pass a Democratic agenda.

“That protect Vermonters from gun violence, from climate change, that protects students from retrograde cuts and reductions in schools,” said Jim Dandeneau, the executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party.

Where Republicans, who hold the governor’s office and see some contested primaries as a referendum on the Democratic Party’s policies.

“Or whether the parties are going to have some pushback either from within or from outside,” said Paul Dame, the chair of the Vermont Republican Party.

Voters will also contend with contested Democratic and Republican primaries for statewide offices.

Lieutenant governor pits a former moderate Democrat John Rodgers, now running as a Republican, against constitutional conservative Gregory Thayer. And Progressive Democrat David Zuckerman against Democrat Thomas Renner.

Vermonters generally support incumbents, and this year, it’s a quieter primary than in recent years.

Two years ago, Vermont experienced a political earthquake after the retirement of Sen. Patrick Leahy and a ripple effect down the ballot.

“When there’s more contested primaries, there’s more excitement about voting in the primary. But you never know because some people really like voting on Election Day. We’ll see what turnout turns out to be,” Copeland Hanzas said.

So far, just shy of 20,000 voters have returned their absentee ballots.

The polls close Tuesday at 7 p.m. and we should have unofficial results by Tuesday night.

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are almost done with their time at St. Vincent College in Latrobe as their training camp wines down. With another preseason game ahead and the regular season bearing down, the team is trying to get as healthy as possible heading into 2024. They aren’t quite there yet, but they are making progress.

And while others are returning to full capacity and full participation, there are some other new injuries popping up as well. Defensive backs Dante Jackson and DeShon Elliott were two of the notable non-participants at practice. Both were held out of drills as they deals with minor injuries.

Rookie tackle Troy Fautanu is still banged up following his first preseason action. He was also not in pads for the session and continues to wear a knee brace as his MCL sprain heals.

DeMarvin Leal, who was a standout in the Steelers’ preseason loss to the Houston Texans, has not been at practice for the past two days. He currently has an undisclosed injury, but the Steelers hope he returns for the next preseason game.

Lastly, second year defensive tackle Keeanu Benton was also restricted at practice. He was wearing a practice jersey and a helmet, but not shoulder pads, indicating he was not going to be a full participant. He sustained an eye injury during the teams’ preseason game and has been held out since.

The good news is that some valuable offensive contributors are making progress in their recoveries quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been a precautionary hold out for the past couple weeks was more active in team and individual drills, which is a huge step forward for the presumptive starting quarterback.

Similarly rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson, who sustained an ankle sprain during the first week of training camp is in closer to his return. while he is still not participating in practice, he is no longer wearing the ankle brace that he had on the past couple of weeks. Hopefully he is able to get some reps in practice and preseason games over the next couple of weeks before the regular season begins.

Some of this reporting is contributed by Steelers OnSI publisher Noah Strackbein.

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