By Sarah Opdahl

With most eyes on the election just a handful of weeks away on Tuesday, November 3, and widespread confusion regarding mail-in voting practices settled by a recent Supreme Court ruling, here are local recommendations and processes for absentee and early voting. Registrar of Voters Elisa Beckett-Flores recommends, “The best practice is making your plan to Vote, however you choose to vote, before October 2. There are options available to ALL voters—Absentee, Early, or on Election Day.”

Absentee Voting

Absentee Ballots become available on Friday, October 2. New Fairfield’s Town Clerk Holly Smith explained, “Under Connecticut law, in order to vote by absentee ballot, a voter must be an active, registered voter in New Fairfield and have filled out an absentee ballot application.” Absentee ballot applications are available in the Town Clerk’s office and for download online at myvote.ct.gov/absentee. This link is also available on the home page of the Town’s website Newfairfield.org in the red banner.  Beckett-Flores clarified, “If you are voting Absentee, get your request in sooner than later if it is being mailed out and returned by the Post Office. They have to travel very far sometimes. If you know now that you will need an Absentee Ballot, get your application in now.”

Once they receive the application, the Town Clerk’s office will process it, ensuring that the voter is eligible to receive an Absentee Ballot and enter the voter’s information into the Central Voter Registration System (CVRS).  “At that point, a unique serial number is created for each ballot to ensure only the voter who requested it can vote with that ballot,” Smith said. The Town Clerk’s Office will issue Absentee Ballots until November 2 during regular business hours. She shared, “The number of people who typically vote by absentee will vary depending on the type of election. This year is a State Election; in the past we have seen an average of 600 plus Absentee Ballot requests. With No Excuse Absentee Balloting and Early Voting options, it’s difficult to estimate how many absentee ballots to expect this year.”  The No-Excuse Voters Amendment of 2024 allows all registered voters in the state to choose to vote by absentee ballot.

The ballots should be carefully completed by the voter, following all the included instructions, and can be returned through the United States Postal Service, in person in the Town Clerk’s office, or via the secure election drop box, which is located outside the front of Town Hall. Smith noted, “By law, only the voter, an immediate family member who lives with the voter (such as a spouse, child, parent, or sibling) or a designee caring for a voter with an illness or disability – such as a doctor or nurse – can return an absentee ballot. The only other legal designees are a town police officer, Registrar of Voters, Deputy Registrar of Voters, or Assistant Registrar of Voters.” All Absentee Ballots must be received by the close of polls – 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Smith detailed the steps the Town Clerk follows after receiving the ballots, which involves checking “that the serial number and barcode match the voter who returned the ballot, and then they secure the absentee ballot, still sealed in its envelope, until Election Day. For absentee ballots that are received prior to Election Day, the Town Clerks pre-mark the Election Day checklist to indicate that the voter has returned an absentee ballot. Voters who return their absentee ballot prior to Election Day will not be allowed to vote in a polling place on Election Day unless they have gone to their municipal clerk’s office before 10:00 a.m. on Election Day to request their absentee ballot be withdrawn and received an affidavit certifying that the absentee ballot has been withdrawn.” She went on to describe the check and balance measures that are taken, “If an absentee ballot arrives on Election Day, it is held until after 8:00 p.m. when the absentee ballot is compared to the official Election Day checklist. If the voter who returned the Absentee Ballot on Election Day has voted in person in a polling place, the Absentee Ballot is not opened and is rejected. This procedure ensures that no voter can vote twice, even by mistake.” If anyone has any questions regarding the Absentee Ballot process, Smith encourages them to please reach out to the Town Clerk’s Office at 203-312-5616.

Early Voting

Registrar of Voters Dan McDermott explained that Early Voting will begin on Monday, October 19 and ends on Sunday, November 1 at Town Hall. Hours are daily, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. with extended hours on October 27 and October 29 when polls will be open 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. When heading to vote, Beckett-Flores suggested that, if it’s convenient, come to vote “when Town Hall hours are usually closed. We have less traffic after 5:00 p.m. weekdays or 12:00 p.m. on Fridays and the weekends. The first and last days can also be busier.” She also noted, “The best practice is to safely cross the street by Town Hall, and be aware of the Town Trick-or-Treat event on October 29, when it will be harder to travel around Town with the trick-or-treaters.”

McDermott wanted to remind voters, “Early voting is still relatively new for Connecticut and likewise New Fairfield. Although we have not been through a complete 4-year cycle of voting, which would give us a good idea on what the turnout will be like at different types of elections, we are prepared regardless of how individuals chose to vote. We know that early voting was very popular during the Presidential election; New Fairfield saw approximately 50% of the voter turnout cast their ballots during early voting.” He went on, “Early voting draws mixed opinions, some voters love the convenience and flexibility while others feel that this is what Election Day is for and would rather cast their vote in person at the polls.” In the end, he says, “it really comes down to personal preference.”

 With the extended election periods in recent years, help is needed more than ever. Beckett-Flores said, “We have just begun staffing the upcoming Elections and Early Voting. We encourage anyone interested in learning about becoming an Election Worker to reach out to our office at 203-312-5613.” If prompted to leave a message, give your name and contact information. “We staff the Election just like our office with a balance of party affiliations. Depending on who is available we sometimes need more new staff from certain parties,” Beckett-Flores added, saying, “We also have Community Service Hours available for High School students needing hours for graduation, Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts who need service hours or working on Democracy Badges or other students needing to volunteer (they must be 16 years old to be at the polls).”

 Watch for a follow-up article on voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, in late October.