Due to the likelihood of extreme heat, and no other place in the facility with air-conditioning, Republican Registrar of Voters Karin Aurelia is moving all GOP Primary voting August 12 from the Newtown Middle School gym to the Reed Intermediate School cafetorium.

Any registered Republican who normally votes at the middle school during political elections should report to the Reed School, 3 Trades Lane, for the upcoming primary only.

“I believe that 16 hours in the intense heat can cause serious health issues for all the workers, in particularly the elderly workers,” the registrar told The Newtown Bee.

Ms Aurelia has confirmed with the Secretary of the State’s office that the location change is approved. Any questions can be directed to the Registrars Office at 203-270-4250.

Voter Registration Deadlines, Absentee Ballots

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is reminding eligible voters who want to cast a ballot in the upcoming statewide primaries on August 12 that voter registration deadlines are fast approaching. Eligible voters must register as Democrats or Republicans in order to cast ballots in the primaries.

New voter registrations or changes to voter registration status completed online or by mail must be received no later than Thursday, August 7, to qualify a voter to cast a ballot in the primary. The final deadline to register in person at town offices for the primary is Monday, August 11, at noon.

Voters who will turn 18 by the November 4 general election can also register and vote in the primary, facing the same registration deadlines.

Unaffiliated Connecticut voters also face the same upcoming deadlines to enroll with a major party if they would like to participate in the primary. It is now too late for an enrolled party member to switch to another party in order to cast a ballot in the August 12 primary.

Absentee ballots are available for the Republican Primary to be held in Newtown on Tuesday, August 12.

Any qualified registered voter may vote by absentee if unable to vote in person due to:

*Active US military service;

*Illness or physical disability;

*Absence from Town during voting hours;

*Religious beliefs which forbid secular activity; or

*Service as an election official at a polling place other than his/her own polling place.

The applications for absentee ballots are available at the Town Clerk’s office, within Newtown Municipal Center at 3 Primrose Street, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm.

Special absentee voting hours will be available Saturday, August 9, from 9 am to noon.

Absentee applications can also be downloaded from Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill’s website, and filled out in advance.

According to the latest voter registration numbers, Connecticut now has slightly more than 1.9 million active registered voters, including 704,561 Democrats, 399,815 Republicans, and 801,752 unaffiliated voters. Since the beginning of this year, more than 32,000 citizens have become newly registered voters.

In that same time, some 3,200 Connecticut unaffiliated voters have enrolled with a major party, making themselves eligible to vote in the August 12 primaries, including 1,743 unaffiliated voters enrolling as Democrats and 1,543 voters affiliating as Republicans.

Polls will be open statewide for registered Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday, August 12, from 6 am to 8 pm. Voters can go online to www.sots.ct.gov/vote to check their registration status, register to vote, download an absentee ballot application, find out where their polling place is located, and view lists of candidates.