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Conklin Retained as Regional Elections Monitor

On June 26, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (River COG) entered into an agreement with Carol Conklin to once again serve as the regional elections monitor. River COG comprises 17 towns, including Clinton, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.

The State of Connecticut requires an election monitor with each regional planning agency to help the secretary of the state with the preparation and execution of each election, as well as with any primary, recanvass, or any audit.

Per the contract, Conklin, a current selectman in Old Saybrook, has several main duties. Those duties including coordinating instructional sessions for moderators, assisting registrars of voters, passing along any orders issued by the secretary of the state, and the interpretation and explanation of election laws and computer software as needed. She must also arrange for a substitute regional election monitor to cover Old Saybrook during any election in which she is a candidate for office. Conklin’s election monitor contract expires in January 2021. The position is funded through the COG.

“I think it’s a huge benefit to the region,” said Clinton First Selectman Christine Goupil, who cited the way constantly evolving technology used in elections as something that can be difficult to keep track of. “Our two registrars, June Hansen and Wendy McDermott do a wonderful job, but the job has expanded.”

Each town has at least two registrars of voters, one a Republican, and one a Democrat. The positions require each registrar to register voters, canvas voters to keep the voting list current, and to oversee elections including the hiring and training of poll workers. Registrars are elected to the post and need to complete mandated training and divide and share the office’s duties. However, the job is only part time, so most registrars have another job, which may cause them to miss some training. As a result, regional election monitors are often required to field questions from those registrars.