Ask the Registrar

Your Place to get Questions Answered about Voting & Local Elections in Stratford.

Getting Ready to Vote in the Municipal Elections this Fall, Including Mayor & Town Council

By Democratic Registrar James Simon

Q. How can I check and make sure if I am registered to vote?
You can contact us at Stratford Town Hall or check online: https://portaldir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx. You insert your name, home town, and birthdate.

Q. I want to run for town office this fall. How do I get started?

If you identify with one of the two majors parties, I would contact the town party chair: Steve Taccogna for the Democrats (tcognac@gmail.com) or Lou Decilio for the Republicans (deciliogop10@optonline.net).

If you want to run as an unaffiliated candidate in the November 2021 mayoral election, contact Town Clerk Susan Pawluk: call 203-385-4020 or by Email: spawluk@townofstratford.com

Q. How can I get the town to automatically mail me an Absentee Ballot for every election? I have a medical problem that prevents me from going to the polls.  

Call the Town Clerk’s office for specifics to see if you qualify. They will then send you an application and instructions. You can their office at 203-385-4020, or by Email, spawluk@townofstratford.com  

Q. I had to fill out a postcard form to register to vote in Stratford. Why haven’t you people
moved into the digital age?  

You CAN go online to register to vote or change your registration at: https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do . You also can come to Stratford Town Hall, Registrar of Voter’s (ROV) office and fill out a form. We still keep a postcard-size, written record on each active voter. GOP Registrar Lou Decilio notes the state still mandates a hard copy of voter files be kept by each municipality.

UPDATE: See Secretary of State Merrill discuss many of these issues: https://www.facebook.com/SOTSMerrill/videos/153521049912699

 Q:  Why do I have to register to vote?  Why not make it automatic? 

In December 2020, New York became the 19 th state to adopt an automatic voter registration law. When eligible residents fill out an application for services at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the state universities, or related agencies, they are registered automatically to vote unless they opt out. A 2019 study by the Brennan Center found automatic voter registration increased registration rates between 9 and 94 percent in jurisdictions across the country. More than one-third of Americans now live in jurisdictions that have this policy.

In Connecticut, state officials announced plans in 2016 to automatically register residents to vote via the DMV, but the program never took effect

More Questions? Please send hem to Registrar Jim Simon; jsimon@townofstratford.com. This is not an official publication of the Town of Stratford.