Multiple voting options in April 2nd presidential primary
For Stratford Democrats, Republicans
By James Simon and Louis A. DeCilio
Stratford Registrars of Voters
Do you enjoy the tradition of voting at the polls on Election Day? Or do you prefer Absentee Ballots? Or do you want to be among the first to try the new Early Voting system in Connecticut?
Voters in Stratford and throughout Connecticut will have several balloting options when they take part in the state’s presidential preference primary election on April 2nd.
The primary is considered a “closed” party election. You must have been a registered Democrat or Republican as of January 2nd, 2024, or an unaffiliated voter who joins one of the parties before the April 2nd primary date, in order to vote in your party’s primary.
Qualified voters have several options in casting a ballot:
- All 10 of the town’s traditional voting locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 2nd. A list of locations is available. Best time to vote? Lines tend to be shortest between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Stratford Voting Locations
| District | Location | Address |
| 1 | Lordship Elementary School | 254 Crown St. |
| 2 | Stratford High School | 245 King St. |
| 3 | Johnson House School | 719 Birdseye St. |
| 4 | Franklin School | 185 Barnum Ave. |
| 5 | Nichols School | 396 Nichols Ave. |
| 6 | Wooster Middle School | 150 Lincoln St. |
| 7 | Wilcoxson School | 600 Wilcoxson Ave. |
| 8 | Chapel Street School | 380 Chapel St. |
| 9 | Bunnell High School | 1 Bulldog Lane |
| 10 | Second Hill Lane School | 65 Second Hill Lane |
Want to check on your voter registration status? You can do so here:
https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do
- Absentee Ballots (ABs) are again available for voters who can’t make it to the polls April 2nd. But the state’s relaxed standards during COVID have changed; you must meet one of several specific in order to cast an AB. You also must apply for an AB, fill it out, sign an outer envelope, and return it by 8 p.m. on Election Day. For further details, contact Town Clerk Susan Pawluk at spawluk@townofstratford.com or 203-385-4020.
(In November 2024, Connecticut voters will consider a constitutional amendment that would allow everybody to vote by Absentee Ballot, transforming the Connecticut AB system into more of a broader “mail-in voting” approach that is common in other states.)
- How about Early Voting? Connecticut voters in November 2022 approved a constitutional amendment that gives voters the option of Early Voting (EV). Registered voters can go to the Baldwin Community Center (1000 West Broad St.) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 26, 27, 28 and 30 and cast a ballot there.
Hate waiting in line? Other states that allow Early Voting report the lines are longest in the first and last days of balloting.
There isn’t much suspense in terms of which presidential candidates will get the most votes. Democratic incumbent Joseph Biden and Republican Donald Trump have won almost all previous state primaries this year by a wide margin. Biden will be joined on the Democratic ballot by Dean Phillips, Cenk Uygur and Marianne Williamson. Trump will be joined on the GOP ballot by Ryan Binkley, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Consistent with Connecticut state law, the Stratford Registrar of Voters office will be open Friday, March 5, 2024 from 10 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. to enroll qualified residents who wish to register to vote in advance of the April 2, 2024 presidential preference primary. The office is located at Stratford Town Hall, Room 117, 2725 Main St., Stratford CT
