Registrar of Voters

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August 14 Primary, Maybe

May State Conventions have been held by both Democrats and Republicans for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Chris Murphy, the U.S. House of Representatives seat currently held by John Larson, the 62nd State Representative seat currently held by Bill Simanski, the 7th State Senate seat currently held by John Kissel, the 8th State Senate seat currently held by Kevin Witkos and the 9th District Probate Judge seat currently held by Cynthia Becker. If either party has a contested nomination for any of the above positions at its convention or caucus, the candidates not chosen will have the option to petition for a primary. Candidates who gather enough votes at the convention or enough eligible signatures by the June 12 deadline, can primary for their party’s nomination.

There will be a special voter registration session on Tuesday, June 12, between 1 and 4 p.m. so that any candidate who was unsuccessful at getting 15 percent of the votes at their party convention can file petitioning papers and their lists of signatures collected from currently registered party members who support the candidate’s right to contest their party’s nomination. To succeed, candidates need to collect valid signatures from approximately 15 percent of all eligible party members. The possibility of an August 14 Primary will be resolved in mid-June when the Secretary of State’s office will officially confirm those candidates that have gathered the necessary number of votes.

Voter registration is a public record and it is easy to confirm your voter registration 24/7. From the Town of Granby website, there is a link to the Secretary of the State’s online voter registration look-up tool at dir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx and a link to online voter registration in order to enroll. Visit  voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do to make name, party or address changes to an existing voter registration.

Posted office hours for the registrars’ office are Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Voter registration forms are also available at town halls, libraries, DMV offices and online at the Secretary of State’s website, sots.ct.gov The registrars’ offer a free presentation on voting. Please let them know if your group or organization would be interested.

Political party affiliation is often confusing to new voters. In Connecticut, only members of a political party can participate in primaries. There is no waiting period to join a party if you are unaffiliated, or to become unaffiliated if you are a member of a party; however, there is a three-month waiting period if you switch political parties. In order to participate in the August 14 primary (if there is one), May 14 was the deadline to switch political parties. Membership in a political party is free and carries no obligations. All voters can vote for any candidate they choose during elections, regardless of party affiliation. You can choose to be a member of any political party that exists, but currently only six parties in Granby are tracked by the state’s computerized voter registration system. Totals as of May 9, 2018 are 2,014 Democrats, 6 Greens, 92 Independents, 15 Libertarians, 2,364 Republicans, 2,862 Unaffiliated and 0 Working Families.

Absentee Ballots are handled through the Town Clerk’s office and voters must send in an application to receive an absentee ballot. For primaries and general November elections, send in an application for your absentee ballot at least one month before the election or primary and return your completed ballot immediately after you receive it. The application is available through the Town Clerk or online at the Secretary of State’s website: www.sots.ct.gov

Calendar Review

Absentee Ballot Applications are being collected now by the Town Clerk for those who know they will be away from home on August 14 and/or November 6. The form is available at Town Hall or on the web at sots.ct.gov

The deadline to switch parties in order to vote in the August state primary was May 14.

Tuesday, June 12, from 1 to 4 p.m., will be the special voter registration session and deadline for filing petition papers for an August primary at Registrars’ Office in Town Hall

Tuesday, August 14, is the potential state primary date from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., if needed.

Pollworkers will be needed for the Gubernatorial election in November, and possibly for an August 14 state primary. The registrars’ office is compiling an email list of poll workers. Poll workers can be volunteers or paid, must be at least 16 years old and can choose to serve full or half days to fit their schedules. Poll worker training is required to serve. If you would like to be added to the list, please email the registrars at: vr.granby.ct@gmail.com

Questions? Please feel free to contact the registrars Laura Wolfe and Paul Willis, by phone at 860-844-5322 or email at vr.granby.ct@gmail.com