Absentee And Early Voting Open
With Election Day coming up on Tuesday, November 4, the Registrar of Voters Office has announced information for absentee and early voting.
Those wishing to receive absentee ballots need to apply at oabr-sots.ct.gov/OABR/absenteeBallotReqPortalHome.do.
Connecticut law allows voters to receive an absentee ballot if they cannot appear at their assigned polling place on Election Day because of active service in the military, absence from the town in which they are eligible to vote, sickness, religious tenets that forbid secular activity on the day of the election, duties as an election official at a polling place other than their own during all of the hours of voting, or physical disability.
The application can either be filled in online or printed and mailed to the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Clerk, Debbie Aurelia Halstead, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT 06470. Completed applications can be dropped in the Ballot Boxes located at the North and South Entrances of the Municipal Center.
For absent uniformed service members, their families, and citizens residing outside the United States, to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and update contact information, visit newtown-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/absentee-ballot-application-information and click on the FPCA link.
For those with questions regarding absentee ballots, e-mail the Town Clerk’s office at: town.clerk@newtown-ct.gov or call 203-270-4210.
In-person early voting hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, October 20 through October 31, and there will be extended hours from 8 am to 8 pm on November 1 and 2. All early voting will be at the Newtown Registrar of Voters Office, Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.
On Election Day, voting will be from 6 am to 8 pm at three voting locations: District 1 — Newtown Middle School; District 2 — Newtown High School; and District 3 — Reed Intermediate School.
Important for those who are not registered to vote in the upcoming election, to be included on the voter roll prior to the election, October 17 is the deadline for voter registration by mail to be postmarked, deadline for voter registration at the DMV by close of business, deadline for voter registration online by 11:59 pm, and the deadline for voter registration in person by 8 pm.
For those are not registered, but want to vote during the early voting period, they may register in person every day of early voting at the early voting location. If someone is not registered, but wants to vote on Election Day, they may register in person on Election Day at their Election Day registration site.
As to the actual ballots, expect to see, for Republicans, incumbent Jeff Capeci and his running mate, Charlie Gardner, at the top of the ticket.
Republicans also running are, for Town Clerk, incumbent Debbie Aurelia Halstead.
For Legislative Council, District 1, Derek Pisani, Brian Leonardi, and Steve Stolfi; District 2, Matt Mihalcik, Jennifer Nicoletti, and Donna Rahtelli; and District 3, Ben Ruben, Tracey Pertoso, and John Zachos.
For Board of Finance, Steve Goodridge, Amybeth Laroche, Barney Molloy, and Jim Landy.
For Board of Education, Melissa Beylouni, Don Ramsey, and Shannon Tomai.
For Board of Assessment Appeals, Kadri Graffeo.
For Planning & Zoning, Roy Meadows and Gregory Rich; Planning & Zoning alternates, Will Drew and David Landau.
For Zoning Board of Appeals, James O’Connor and Rachel Rowan; to fill a two year term vacancy, Dennis Bloom.
For Zoning Board of Appeals Alternates, Sue Goodridge and Pete Wlasuk.
For Police Commission, Scott Cicciari and Keith Torreso.
For Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, Melanie Mattegat.
Leading the Democratic ticket is challenger for first selectman Bruce Walczak and his running mate, Paul Lundquist.
Democrats also running are, for Town Clerk, Renee Weimann.
For Board of Finance, John Fletcher, Jim Gaston, Jeannette Lamoreaux, and Beth Young.
For Board of Education, Doria Linnetz.
For Legislative Council, District 1, Chris Eide, Chris Gardner, and Laura Miller; District 2, Jordana Bloom, Eric Paradis, and Keith Alexander; and District 3, Michelle Embree Ku, Arnie Berman, and Lily MacHugh.
For Planning & Zoning, Peter Schwarz and Don Mitchell; and Planning & Zoning alternate, Jill Soderholm.
For Edmond Town Hall, Herb Rosenthal.
For Police Commission, Dan Cruson.
For Zoning Board of Appeals, Alan Clavette, and ZBA alternate, Betsy Paynter.
Outside the two large political parties, Neil Chaudhary is running for Police Commissioner as a member of the Forward Party, and Tom Long is running as an unaffiliated petitioning candidate for Legislative Council District 3.
See our letters page today, over the previous weeks, and over the next few weeks for letters of introduction for each candidate, as well as endorsement letters and other correspondence concerning our upcoming local elections. Candidate profiles will published early to mid October, and tune in for other election coverage, including previews and results.
Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.