STRATFORD REGISTRARS WARN DEADLINE HAS PASSED FOR VOTERS TO SWITCH PARTIES, VOTE IN APRIL 2 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
Some Stratford voters are trying to switch from one political party to another in hopes of voting in their new party’s April 2nd, 2024 presidential primary election. But it is too late to do so for 2024.
“We had a small surge of people who did successfully act before the January 2nd, 2024 deadline, switching from Democrat to Republican, or vice versa, in order to be able to vote in the other party’s primary,” said James Simon, one of the town’s registrars.
“But we have been warning people who made the switch after January 2nd that they will not be able to vote in their new party’s primary,” he said.
State law calls for voters enrolled in one party to act 90 days before an election if they want to take part in the new party’s primary.
Louis DeCilio, the town’s other Registrar, said any Stratford resident who is registered as Unaffiliated can still join a party until noontime April 1st, 2024 and then take part in that party’s primary election. Voters can check their current registration here: https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR
By January 19, Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas is scheduled to announce the names of the candidates who will appear on the presidential primary election ballot in Connecticut (unless they file a withdrawal request by March 5th). Former President Donald Trump leads other Republican candidates in polls nationally, while no major opposition has emerged to President Joseph Biden on the Democratic side.
Connecticut moved up its primary election date by several weeks in 2024 in hopes the state could play a larger role in deciding which candidates win the party nominations. The primary election will be the first time Stratford (and all of Connecticut) offers Early Voting.
Voters have the option of going to the Baldwin Center and casting an early ballot on Tuesday, March 26th; Wednesday, March 27th; Thursday, March 28th; and Saturday, March 30th. There is no early voting on March 29th (Good Friday), March 31st (Easter), or April 1st (never the day before Election Day).
In the 2020 presidential primary election in Stratford (delayed until August due to COVID), 4,249 of 13,869 registered Democrats cast a ballot, plus 1,030 of 6,728 registered Republicans. Overall turnout was 26 percent of all eligible party voters.
