5 Tips for Easy Voting in November
Election Day is on Tuesday. For trouble-free voting in the November 4th general election, Wilton’s registrars of voters offer a few suggestions.
Check that you’re a registered voter. Use the Secretary of the State’s Voter Look-up site—www.dir.ct.gov —to see whether you’re registered and to find your November 4th polling place. All three of Wilton’s polling places will be open. Unlike voting in a local referendum, you must be a registered voter in Wilton to vote in the November 4th election.
If you need to register, use Connecticut’s new online voter registration system that matches your driver’s license with your name and birth date. You can register in your new town, change your party affiliation, or update your address in your current town up to a week before the election. Connecticut law requires registered voters to be:
U.S. citizens,
At least 18 by Election Day,
Eligible for restoration of voting rights if previously convicted of a disenfranchising felony,
A bona fide resident of your town.
Advance registration and voting at your assigned polling place will be the fastest way to vote on Election Day. For unregistered newcomers to Wilton, Connecticut law now allows Election Day registration and voting at town hall. Registering and voting that day will be more complex and lengthy for voters who’ve delayed registering, but will afford a voting safety net if needed.
Apply at the town clerk’s office for an absentee ballot early if you need one. Connecticut laws governing absentee voting are very specific. They require you to swear, under penalty of perjury, that you are unable to vote at the polls because of illness, physical disability, and absence from town during all voting hours, religious tenets, military service, or service as an elections official. Absentee ballot applications must be signed by the voter. Voters may not sign applications for their college-age students or for busy spouses. Signing an application for someone else, except for a voter with a physical handicap, is a Class D felony. After October 3, voters may apply in person and complete their absentee ballots at the town clerk’s office.
Notice that this year’s ballot will include a question for all Connecticut voters regarding a proposed change to the state constitution. This amendment—passed by the state legislature—proposes removing from the constitution restrictions on absentee voting and in-person voting on Election Day.
The registrars will post explanatory text from the Secretary of the State at Wilton’s three polling places, describing the purpose of the amendment.
For additional information on registering or voting, Wilton residents can contact Wilton Registrars Carole Young-Kleinfeld or Tina Gardner at their office in Town Hall at (203) 563-0111 or by e-mail at registrars@wiltonct.org.