Q1: When will we know if there is a primary election on Sept. 9?
A: As of this moment, there is no primary set for Stratford. But four Democrats have pulled petition papers in hopes of gathering enough signatures to force a party primary. They are Linda Manos, who wants to run for Mayor but the party endorsed Dr. David Chess; Alvin O’Neal and Michael Singh, who want to run for Town Council in District 3 (Johnson Academy) but the party endorsed William Boyd; and David Harden, who wants to run for Town Council in District 4 (Franklin School) but the party endorsed incumbent Rene Gibson. No Republican challengers have pulled petition pages as of July 24, 2025.
The challengers must submit certified petitions signed by at least 5% of the registered Democrats in their jurisdiction to force a primary. Deadline: August 6, after which the Democratic Registrar will certify whether enough signatures were submitted. If one of the challengers qualifies, there will be a Sept. 9 party primary in that jurisdiction.
Q2. Who are the other candidates for each party in the town election Nov. 4?
A: You can see each party’s endorsed slate of candidates here, under Endorsement Forms: Election Year 2025 | Town of Stratford The Democrats’ list would change if there is a primary Sept. 9 and any of the challengers are successful.
—
Q3. Is Stratford definitely using new voting machines in November? Should I be worried about learning how they work?
A: All 169 Connecticut cities and towns are receiving new voting machines, paid for by the state. They generally look like the old machines, except they have a larger video screen where you can watch a simulation of your ballot being processed and deposited (or returned to you if there is problem).
We plan to have a pre-election workshop at the Stratford Library (date to be determined) where you will be able to see the new machines and ask any questions about the municipal election.
—
Q4. You always say there are safeguards built into the voter registration system. Give an example.
When you register to vote, we send a letter to your stated address to see if you actually live there and to check to see if the registration information is correct. If it bounces back to us, we know there is a problem and we do not register the person as an Active voter. We also contract with the US Postal Service to get lists of Stratford residents who file change of address forms with USPS. If we get a report that you have moved out of Stratford, we send you a letter that seeks to confirm the move so we can remove you from our voter list.
Stratford has 35,000 registered voters; we make 10,000 changes to the voting rolls each year.
—
Q5: How could voters help tighten the voter registration system in Stratford?
A: When a woman gets married and chooses to change their last name, they perhaps have more important things to worry about than updating their voter registration records. But every time we go through any subset of voter registration cards, we find numerous women registered under both their maiden name and married name. We confirm whether they are the same person, merge the records if appropriate, and send the person a notification letter. (We have no evidence that such a person has ever tried to vote twice, once under each name.)
If you, or anyone you know, changes their last name for any reason, please inform us at Registrars@Townofstratford.com and we will work with you to ensure the records are accurate.
—
MORE QUESTIONS? SEND THEM TO STRATFORD REGISTRAR JAMES SIMON; jsimon@townofstratford.com. This is not an official publication of the Town of Stratford. (Vol. 5, No. 7; July 2025)
Registrar of Voters (D)
Town of Stratford
2725 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06615
203.385.4049
jsimon@townofstratford.com
