Both major parties will choose their local delegates at town committee caucuses and meetings throughout the state during the last week of March. These local delegates attend numerous state and district conventions where party nominees are chosen during May. Town delegates chosen in the March caucus to attend the May conventions are either committed to a particular candidate or uncommitted. As of this writing, the 2021 redistricting process is completed, and Granby district lines did not change.
Granby Democrats will hold its caucus on Monday, March 28 at 6 p.m. Contact Lynn Guelzow by email at GranbyDemocrats@gmail.com for more information. The Granby Republican Town Committee will choose its delegates at a meeting on March 23 at 7 p.m. Contact Mark Fiorentino by email at fishnthestates@gmail.com for more information.
May conventions are meetings to discuss and formally vote on who will be endorsed as the party nominee for each office. Each convention includes endorsement speeches and candidates’ qualifications are discussed prior to the voting. Granby delegates attending the conventions will vote on the party’s nominee for open Connecticut seats in the U.S. Senate, 1st District U.S. House, Governor/Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, 62nd District State Representative, 9th District Judge of Probate for Granby, Avon, Canton and Simsbury, and two State Senate seats: the 7th for Granby’s District 1, and the 8th for Granby’s District 2.
If a single candidate does not receive a majority endorsement during the first vote at a convention, more votes can be taken, possibly with a narrowed field. Unsuccessful candidates at these conventions can get a second opportunity to gain the party nomination through a party primary in August. There are two ways to qualify; either receive 15 percent or more of the votes at the convention, or petition for the primary by collecting signatures.
This year, with so many offices on the ballot and such a large field of candidates already declared, Registrars are predicting at least one race will be contested in August for both parties. As there aren’t any municipal offices open for nomination on this November’s ballot, a May town committee caucus will not be needed by either Granby town committee this year.