Can I bring my kids to the polls?

When will absentee ballots be counted?

Are poll observers allowed?

Can I wear a mask printed with my candidate’s name while voting?

These are just a few of the nearly two dozen points covered in an abbreviated “Friday Forums” segment hosted by The Newtown Bee and webcast live at noon on Facebook, Friday, October 30. The webcast has since been archived on The Newtown Bee’s YouTube page, as well — view it below:

Prior Forums videos featured conversations with candidates running for the Connecticut General Assembly to represent Newtown — they are also available for viewing on YouTube.

The latest and last Friday Forums segment of this election season was designed specifically for those who intend to vote in person on Election Day, November 3. On that day, local polling places are open for voters and curbside voting services between 6 am and 8 pm.

A prior video on absentee voting was produced in late September ahead of the opening of absentee voting October 2 with the help of Town Clerk Debbie Halstead. View it on The Newtown Bee’s YouTube channel.

The Town Clerk is scheduled to hold in-person absentee voting Saturday, October 31, from 9 am to noon, at the Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street. Absentee Ballots can also be completed Monday, November 2, from 8 am to 4:30 pm, by visiting the Town Clerk’s office in person at the Newtown Municipal Center.

View the video on absentee voting here:

In the half-hour session with the local registrars, Frampton and Canfield walked prospective in-person voters through what they will expect to encounter at local polling places on November 3, talked a bit about the predominantly new crop of poll volunteers, and called for voters to be patient and kind, particularly during expected busy periods after polls open, during the lunch hour, and into the mid-afternoon.

The registrars also explained protocols that will prevent prior absentee voters from casting a second in-person vote if they try to do so Tuesday, with Frampton strongly reminding voters that such a double voting attempt is illegal.

At the time of the webcast, Canfield said more than 6,000 absentee ballots had been issued and received back, so more than 12,000 registered voters could still be reporting to the polls Election Day.

The average turnout for a Presidential Election is about 90 percent, Frampton said.