Printer Friendly Version - Early Voting Comes To Connecticut

After many years of early voting advocacy efforts to bring early voting to Connecticut and the passage of a referendum by Connecticut voters, Shoreline area voters can join all Connecticut voters in choosing to vote early for the first time. Early voting allows voters to vote in-person safely and securely before Election Day. This year, Connecticut joins 46 other states that allow voters to vote early.

This is a new process for Connecticut voters, who will now have several days to go and vote in their towns. In most cases, early voting will take place in the Town Hall. It is advisable to check with your Town Clerk about the voting locations to be sure before you go to vote early.

Absentee ballot voting requires a reason (from a list of six found at MyVote.CT.gov).

Early boting is available to every eligible voter without a specific reason. Early Voting may be done only in person, not via mail or drop box.

The first opportunity to take advantage of early voting will be for the Connecticut Presidential Preference Primary. The early voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on these days and hours will be:

Tuesday, March 26
Wednesday, March 27
Thursday, March 28
Saturday, March 30

Election Day will be on Tuesday, April 2, this year. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. Early voting locations and poll locations can be found by visiting the website for the Town Clerk of your town or city.

When you arrive at the early voting location, you will check in and be verified as an eligible voter. You will then receive your ballot with an envelope. You will complete your ballot at a privacy booth and seal it in the approved envelope. Before you leave, you will place the sealed envelope in the secure receptacle as instructed by the election officials.

It is important to remember that Connecticut has a closed primary system. A closed primary system means that a voter has to be enrolled in a party to vote in that party's primary, e.g., to vote in the Republican primary, you must be a registered Republican.

Other helpful voting information for the Connecticut Presidential Preference Primary includes voter registration deadlines. While the deadline for enrolled party members to transfer enrollment from one party to the other for voting in their “new” party’s presidential primary has passed, the other deadlines are:

March 25, 2024 at 12 noon: Deadline for unaffiliated voters who seek to vote during the early voting period to file an application with the registrars of voters.
April 1, 2024 at 12 noon: In-person enrollment deadline, for new voters and unaffiliated voters enrolling in a party in person at Town Hall, for voting on the day of the primary.

Remember, you can still vote via absentee ballot or on Election Day as usual. Elections in Connecticut are safe and secure. Contact your Town Clerk for any additional information you may need to vote in the Connecticut Presidential Preference Primary.

The League of Women Voters of the East Shore encourages all voters to take the time to vote in the Connecticut Presidential Preference Primary Election, whether by early voting, absentee voting, or voting on Election Day April 2, 2024.

Early voting has come to Connecticut. Image courtesy League of Women Voters of the East Shore