Absentee Ballots Available for All Registered Voters
An important change from 2020—there will NOT be any mass mailing of applications this year, due to lack of state and federal funding. Thanks to an extension of the 2020 executive orders, all registered voters can opt to obtain and fill out an absentee ballot application, vote absentee, and use the black Official Ballot Drop Box located in front of Town Hall to deposit their completed applications and ballots as was allowed in 2020. Voters must act now to get an absentee application form for the Nov. 2 election. The form is available at Town Hall or will be mailed upon request. If you have access to a printer, you can download the application form at:
Absentee Ballots are handled through the Town Clerk’s office, and represent a complete ballot, identical to the ballots used by voters on Election Day. They are printed on a different color paper because they are tallied separately. Send in a completed application for your absentee ballot at least two weeks before the election and return your completed ballot immediately after you receive it to ensure your vote will be counted. Return via mail, by dropping it in the Official Ballot Drop Box at Town Hall, or comple the process in person at Town Hall. Ballots received by the Town Clerk after Nov. 2 are not counted.
In Person Registration Deadline is Oct. 26
The Granby Registrar of Voters will hold an all-day voter registration session on Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Hall offices. Residents are encouraged to stop in or call to verify their voter registration. You can also check your voter registration 24/7 online at sots.ct.gov
Same day voter registration has been passed in Connecticut. The State Legislature has changed the state statute so that U.S. citizens who are 18 by Nov. 2 can register to vote on Election Day. To implement, unregistered voters must go to Town Hall (not the town’s polling site) on Election Day to register.
Proof of identity and proof of residence to vote must be presented to register. If registered by 8 p.m., they will get to fill out a ballot and place it an envelope. If their ballot is uncontested at 8 p.m., it will go to Granby’s polling site at the high school and be counted separately from the official ballots and the absentee ballots. The Registrar of Voters strongly encourages everyone to register before Election Day, so you can directly place your ballot into the machine to be counted and avoid potentially long lines at Town Hall. Voters need to be aware that voter registration is non-transferable. If you moved from another town or state, you need to fill out a new registration card, with your current address to vote.
Online voter registration is available for new voters or to make changes 24/7 at voterregistration.ct.gov
One Polling Site
For the Municipal Election on Tuesday, Nov. 2, the polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. All Granby residents will vote at the Granby Community Gym, located in Granby Memorial High School in the center of town.
Traffic is anticipated to be light to moderate. It is recommended that drivers access the polling place using the high school entrance off North Granby Road/Route 189, next to Public Works, and leave the polls from Salmon Brook Street/Route 10/202, next to the middle school. All Granby schools will be closed on Election Day. The Registrars strongly recommend voting between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. if you can, because the heaviest voting will be between 6 and 10 a.m., and the second rush between 4 and 8 p.m. All COVID-19 protocols will be in place—six-foot social distancing and facial masks are required for everyone within the polls.
Voter ID
To check in quickly at the polls, please bring an ID—a photo ID if possible. If you do not have an ID on election day but verified your ID when you registered, or when voting previously, plan to spend a few minutes at the Moderator table, because the state requires you to fill out a form. If you are a brand-new voter, and your confirmation letter noted that you have not proven your identity, you must bring an ID to vote on Election Day, preferably a photo ID. Provisional ballots are not available for Municipal Elections.
Calendar Review
Currently: Absentee Ballot Applications are being collected by the Town Clerk for those who would like an absentee ballot. The application form is available at Town Hall or on the Secretary of State’s website.
Friday, Oct. 1: Absentee Ballots are available from the Town Clerk (for completed applications)
Wednesday, Oct. 20: Public Testing of the Optical Scanner Voting Machines at 1 p.m. at Town Hall
Tuesday, Oct. 26: Deadline to postmark a Mail In Registration
Tuesday, Oct 26: Last Day to Register to vote in person
Tuesday, Oct. 26: Voter Registration Session at Registrars’ office in Town Hall, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct 27: Filing of Certified Voter Registry List with the Town Clerk
Monday, Nov 1: Last Day to Register in person for brand new residents, military service and just turned 18 years old. Special Office Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Town Hall.
Tuesday, Nov. 2: Municipal Election, polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Granby Community Gym, Granby
Memorial High School
Tuesday, Nov. 2: Same Day Election Day Registration and voting at the Registrar’s office at Town Hall for those eligible and who need to register before voting only.
Stop by to register to vote, to determine your voting district or to make corrections in person at the Registrars’ Office in the Town Hall every Wednesday (regular office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Please note that voter registration forms are also available at town halls, libraries, DMV offices and online at the Secretary of State’s website: sots.ct.gov
Questions? Contact the registrars, Laura Wolfe and Sonja Smith, at 860-844-5322 or lwolfe@granby-ct.gov or ssmith@granby-ct.gov