By Jim Simon
Registrar Town of Stratford
Q: If I get sick on the way to the polls, is it true that they will let me to vote in my car?
From the Secretary of State: “If you arrive at the polling place but are unable to access it due to a temporary incapacity, you may request that a ballot be brought to you. The Registrars of Voters (or their assistants) from both parties must then bring you a ballot and a privacy sleeve. You must show the proper identification and may then mark the ballot. You must mark the ballot in front of the election officials but not in a way that will violate your right to vote in privacy.
You should then place the ballot in a privacy sleeve. The election officials will then deliver your ballot in the privacy sleeve to the tabulator for counting. At no time should your right to vote in privacy be violated.” (https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Voter-Information/Voters-with-Disabilities-Fact-Sheet)
While I am glad we have such a provision, the potential for abuse is there. It’s not hard to imagine a line of cars backed up for a mile if everyone decides to do this.
Q: When residents comes in to register to vote as unaffiliated, why don’t you warn them that they can’t vote in the primary, which is limited to members of each major party?
Registrars try to avoid “leading the witness” in the direction of one party or the other. If a resident wants to be unaffiliated, that is their choice, and they can switch to a party in the weeks before a primary.
Q: What happens to all the paper ballots after a vote is ratified after Election Day?
They are stored in locked bags and kept for 22 months in case any challenges arise. Your place to get questions answered about voting and local elections in Stratford.
Hosted by Democratic Registrar James Simon. Send him your questions at jsimon@townofstratford.com
