Absentee ballots for the August 11 primary are available. Early voting for the primary, which will concern two state races — Democrats will decide between incumbent candidate Ned Lamont and challenger Josh Elliot for governor; Republicans will select Jonathan De Barros or Chris Shea for the 5th District Congressional candidate to face Democratic incumbent Jahana Hayes in November — opens next week. The primary itself will be Tuesday, August 11.

One thing to know: Connecticut primaries are closed. Someone must be registered with a party to vote in that party’s primary. Those who are already enrolled as a Democrat or Republican are all set. Those who are unregistered or unaffiliated can still join a party. The deadline is noon the day before someone plans to vote, whether that is an early voting day or August 11 itself.

To vote absentee, Newtown residents must apply in person at the Town Clerk's Office, within Newtown Municipal Center at 3 Primrose Street, weekdays between 8 am and 4:30 pm.

By mail, print the online application found at newtown-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/absentee-ballots-august-11-2026-primary-available-july-21, complete it, and mail it in. The last day to vote absentee for the approaching primaries is Monday, August 10.

Returning Ballots

Ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office by the close of polls at 8 pm August 11.

They can be delivered by hand when the office of the Town Clerk is open. Secure Official Ballot Drop Boxes are also available outside the north and south entrances of the municipal center, available 24 hours.

To return by mail, send it to Town Clerk, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown CT 06470.

For additional information regarding absentee ballots, contact the Office of the Town Clerk at town.clerk@newtown-ct.gov or 203-270-4210.

Early Voting

Early voting will be available in the Council Chambers at Newtown Municipal Center beginning Monday morning.

Hours will be 10 am to 6 pm Monday, August 3; Wednesday, August 5; and Friday through Sunday, August 7-9.

Extended hours, with polls open 8 am to 8 pm, will be available Tuesday and Thursday, August 4 and 6.

August 11 Details

Polls will be open from 6 am until 8 pm for in-person voting Tuesday, August 11.

All three polling locations will be open. Residents of District 1-6 and District 1-7 vote at Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen Street; District 2-6 votes at Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road; and District 3-6 votes at Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane.

Those who are unsure which district they reside in can visit the Town Clerk website or call 203-270-4210.

Ned Lamont, Democrat Incumbent For Governor

From Lamont's Website: Ned Lamont was sworn into office as the 89th governor of Connecticut on January 9, 2019. He began his second term on January 4, 2023.

Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself.

Later, as a member of both the Greenwich Board of Selectmen and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Lamont worked in a bipartisan effort to safeguard a multimillion-dollar budget and deliver results for constituents. For four years, Lamont also served as chairman of the State Investment Advisory Council, overseeing a multibillion-dollar state pension fund.

Lamont started his own company, taking on the large and established giants of the telecom industry. Under his vision and stewardship, the company grew to serve over 400 of America's largest college campuses and one million college students across the nation.

As a volunteer teacher, Lamont sought to give back to his community by volunteering at Harding High School in Bridgeport. In an effort to spark entrepreneurship, Lamont taught students about the inner workings of small businesses, bringing in local businesspeople to share their own experiences, and helping to place students in local internships. Lamont is on the faculty of Central Connecticut State University as an adjunct professor of political science and philosophy, where he also helped to found a popular business start-up competition. In early 2009, he helped lead an initiative to bring together Connecticut leaders from across the business, nonprofit, and labor sectors to unite in a strategy to create new jobs in the state.

As a candidate for United States Senate in 2006, he stood up for his convictions and challenged the political establishment. Taking on long-time incumbent Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate, Lamont campaigned on the platform that wars in the Middle East were draining resources and attention that could be better focused on pressing domestic issues like the economy, education, and healthcare.

As a private citizen, he fought for the issues in which he believes, serving on the boards of Mercy Corps and the Conservation Services Group, non-profits which seek to make a difference in the humanitarian and renewable energy fields, respectively.

Lamont was born on January 3, 1954, in Washington, D.C., to Camille Helene and Edward Miner Lamont. The eldest of three children, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and served as president of the student newspaper, The Exonian. After graduating Phillips Exeter in 1972, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Harvard College in 1976 and a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management in 1980.

Lamont married his wife Annie on September 10, 1983. They have three children: Emily, Lindsay, and Teddy.

Josh Elliot, Democratic Challenger For Governor

From Elliot's Website: Since winning the 88th District House seat in the Connecticut General Assembly in 2016, State Representative Josh Elliott has advocated for implementing progressive policies that will help improve Connecticut’s economy and allow it to remain competitive with surrounding states.

Elliott, who grew up in Connecticut and attended high school in Hamden, graduated with a BA in Sociology from Ithaca College. He later went on to earn his JD at Quinnipiac School of Law.

Elliott is working to ensure that Connecticut employs quality public health standards by pushing for a requirement that all children in the public education system receive proper immunizations. Elliott is also dedicated to improving the treatment of Connecticut's incarcerated population. He is an active advocate of banning the use of solitary confinement and has independently championed a bill that will provide certain telecommunication services at no cost.

Elliott believes so deeply that the right to vote is a fundamental feature of government that he has sponsored several bills aimed at efficiently reforming Connecticut’s electoral system. Among these are a bill that would restore voting privileges of formerly incarcerated individuals on parole, and a bill that would implement a ranked-choice voting system, which would allow a voter to rank candidates by their preference.

Elliott pushed for Connecticut to be the first state to remove the cost for incarcerated individuals to make phone calls to loved ones. Prior to this Connecticut had the highest cost in the United States for these calls. Studies show a positive correlation between family communication and lower re-incarceration rates.

He has spearheaded efforts to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, sought to equalize property tax rates, and consistently supported establishing a more equitable tax structure.

Elliott currently serves as deputy speaker and Majority Caucus co-chair. He is also a member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee, the Public Health Committee, and the Judiciary Committee.

Chris Shea, Republican Candidate For US 5th District In Congress

From Shea’s Website: Chris Shea is a native of Watertown. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Charter Oak State College. He was commissioned November 2012 and attended the LDO/CWO Academy in Newport, R.I., in November 2013. Shea started his Navy career in 1991 as a hospital corpsman, with his first tour being at Naval Hospital Groton. He then completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL and Special Forces Medic (18-D) training before reporting to SEAL Team 8. He has gone on to serve at SEAL Team 18, Naval Special Warfare Group Two, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Special Operations Command North, US Embassy Mexico City, and the Pentagon.

Shea’s operational tours include deployments with various joint special operation tasks forces in Sarajevo, Afghanistan, and Mexico. In 1997, he was part of an elite team that collected intel, apprehended suspects, and extradited folks to the Hague to stand trial for war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.

In 2006 and 2011, Shea was part of an inter-agency, multi-disciplinary joint task force tasked with finding and prosecuting al-Qaeda and Taliban high-value targets in Afghanistan.

In 2015-16, Shea served first as the OIC of the planning and assistance and training team for Special Operations Command North out of the US Embassy, Mexico City. He then transitioned to the OIC of a SEAL squad charged with training Mexican special operations forces to combat transnational criminal organizations. Shea most recently served as a requirement’s officer for the chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, in the Naval Special Warfare Branch, ensuring the proper funding and equipping of Naval Special Operations forces.

Since retiring in January 2024, Shea has returned to work as a lieutenant at the North Haven Fire Department. He is also the president and founder of Hero to Hero, Inc., helping to transition special operators and other highly qualified service members to first responder careers.

Shea resides in Cheshire, with his wife Anita.

Jonathan De Barros, Republican Candidate For US 5th District In Congress

From De Barros’ Website: Jonathan De Barros is a community leader, youth mentor, and lifelong Connecticut resident running to represent the people of the 5th United States Congressional District, a region spanning northwestern and central Connecticut, including Danbury, Meriden, the Farmington and Naugatuck Valleys, Litchfield County, and his hometown of Waterbury.

As founder of Phoenix Youth Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2018, De Barros has worked tirelessly to mentor at-risk youth, promote vocational training, and teach conflict resolution. His passion for helping others is rooted in his own life experience and a deep commitment to ensuring that young people have the opportunities and support he needed as a teen.

Growing up in Waterbury during the height of the crack epidemic and gang violence, De Barros faced a life-altering tragedy. As a teenager, he was attacked by multiple gang members, one armed with a loaded firearm. Forced to act in self-defense, Jonathan was wrongfully charged after a Democrat-appointed prosecutor withheld crucial evidence proving the assailant’s gun was in police custody. After 19 years of wrongful incarceration, his conviction was unanimously overturned by the Connecticut Court of Appeals, and he was later granted a full, complete, unconditional and absolute pardon by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, under Democratic Governor Ned Lamont.

While incarcerated, De Barros immersed himself in study, reading history, philosophy, religion, and political thought, including works by Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Booker T. Washington, and Thomas Sowell. Upon his release, he earned his Electrical Technician certification from IMTI in Waterbury and went on to serve the state and local municipalities maintaining highway lighting and traffic systems.

De Barros now lives in Plymouth, with his wife Alyssa, a registered nurse with a master’s degree. Together, they are active in their local Republican Town Committee and are proud homeowners. In 2016, they suffered the heartbreaking loss of their unborn son, an event that deepened their Christian faith and commitment to pro-life advocacy. They are active members of Calvary Life Church in Cheshire and hold deep respect for law enforcement and the US military, with several family members having served or currently serving.

De Barros is passionate about restoring the Republican values championed by Frederick Douglass, including faith, family, personal responsibility, and economic empowerment, to Black and Latino communities. He is committed to the principles of Abraham Lincoln and to working with fellow Connecticut Republicans to defend the constitutional foundations of the American Republic and return the Constitution State to its founding values.