Avoid heartache at the Presidential Preference Primaries!
To be eligible to vote in the presidential primary on Tuesday, April 2, you must be registered as a Democrat or Republican. You are encouraged to check your party affiliation online at portaldir.ct.gov/sots/lookup.aspx
In Connecticut, those who are currently 17 years old but will turn 18 by Nov. 5 can participate in the primary if they register with a party by the cutoff dates listed below.
For all primaries in Connecticut, you MUST be a member of the party you wish to vote for. State party rules prohibit cross voting in another political party’s primary. Unaffiliated or Independent voters are NOT allowed to vote in primaries. Forty percent of Granby voters are currently unaffiliated, 29 percent are Republican, 29 percent are Democrats and one percent are minor party members.
To gain party affiliation, go online and fill out a voter registration card. Check the box marked “party enrollment change” and write in the political party you wish to affiliate with. The website is at: voterregistration.ct.gov/ You have until the postmark and online deadline to register to vote on March 15. The Unaffiliated in-person deadline is noon on March 25. The Registrar’s office is open from 9 a.m. to noon. This is a big change to accommodate early voting that will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for four days: March 26, 27, 28 and 30.
FYI: Party membership does not cost anything, nor are party members obligated to vote along party lines. Unfortunately, the deadline to switch from one party to another has already passed. There is a 90-day waiting period for those switching political parties to attain party privilege. Anyone switching political parties between Jan. 2 and April 2 would be ineligible to vote in either primary.
New voters can register in person as Democrat or Republican until noon on April 1, the day before participation in the April 2 primary. To participate in early voting new voters can register by noon during early voting, but they are required to return the next day to vote because there is no same-day registration for primaries.
On Jan. 19 the Secretary of State will announce the candidates who qualified to be on the ballot. Petitioning candidates have until Feb. 9 to file their petition pages. On Feb. 27, Stephanie Thomas will announce the results of a lottery that determines the order in which the national candidates will appear on each ballot. Sample ballots should be available for viewing on the SOS website: sots.ct.gov
Granby Democrat and Republican Town Committees will hold Party Caucus
February is a busy time for potential November candidates to gain party support and campaign funds. In late March, each town will hold two caucuses, one Republican and one Democrat, for party members to vote on the town delegates to send to their State and District party conventions in May.
At these conventions the party candidate endorsement selections are made. An August primary will occur should a potential candidate choose to contest their party’s nominee from these state conventions.
This year, with so much interest in the November Presidential Election, the Registrars are predicting at least one race will be contested in August for both parties. The town delegates chosen in the March caucus to attend the May conventions can be committed to a particular candidate or can be uncommitted.
To participate and vote in the March caucuses, you must be a party member. Unaffiliated and unregistered voters can register with a party by noon the day before the caucus to be eligible to participate. Switching parties requires a 90-day waiting period before attaining party privilege. The caucus must be held between March 26 and April 2, inclusive.
Legal notices will be printed in local newspapers a minimum of five days before these meetings. On the November ballot will be seats for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State House Representative District 62, State Senate (7th for District 1 and 8th for District 2). As of Jan. 2, 2024, the Secretary of State is issuing nominating petitions for any minor party or unaffiliated candidates to petition for a slot on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. The delegates to attend the National Conventions to choose a Presidential Candidate are selected in the Presidential Preference Primary held on Tuesday, April 2.