Eligible Connecticut voters can cast their ballots early through this Sunday for Tuesday's state-level party primaries.
Throughout the week, starting on Monday, early voting locations opened statewide ahead of the Aug. 13 election thanks to a new law requiring at least one early voting location in every Connecticut municipality ahead of election days.
In the town of Hamden, that location was Miller Library, where voters could cast an early ballot on a number of races – including Democratic primaries for state representative and a Republican race to decide whether Matthew Corey or Gerry Smith will face off against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy in the fall.
The goal of early, in-person voting is to make it easier for prospective voters to cast a ballot. But the requirements in Connecticut can also pull at poll workers’ bandwidth.
“The hours are long,” said Edward John Broderick, an election moderator in Hamden. “I work 10 to 12 hours a day, every day for seven days, and then in October, it'll be 14 days. And so I don't see my children all that often.”
He says so far, there’s been a good turnout for early voting in the town. Connecticut’s first foray into early voting was in March when only 18,000 voters out of an eligible 1.2 million showed up for early voting.
The Secretary of the State’s office previously said that these early voting days are also a chance to test a new voting system and its staffing levels before elections such as the one in November.
Jonathan Stewart said he has worked at the polls for a number of years, but this is his first time doing so in Hamden. Seeing democracy in action is a highlight, along with seeing the turnout so far.
“There's a lot of people that fought for the right to vote – so to see people come out, and exercise their right, that was hard to get for a lot of people,” Stewart said. “I just appreciate the process.”
Eligible Democrat and Republican voters looking to cast their ballots early and in person for the state-level primaries can do so until 6 p.m. Friday, and between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
There will be no early voting on Monday, but polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. More information on early voting can be found online.
