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08/18/2020 12:00 AMThough the final numbers for the North Haven primaries weren’t tallied by press time, some numbers already stood out. Town Clerk Stacey Yarbrough noted that 1,565 absentee ballots were received on time and that the unofficial number of in-person voters was 1,521.
“Normally absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls,” said Yarbrough. “The executive order amended the law relating to this rule for the primary, yet even with the executive order amendment, many have been returned late.”
The number of absentee ballots, which are tallied using a centralized vote count at Town Hall using the same voting tabulators used elsewhere for all election-related events, have in previous presidential primaries been fewer than 200.
In 2016, Yarbrough issued approximately 165 absentee ballots and eight Federal Post Card Applications (FPCA). The 2016 presidential primary drew a combined 4,160 voters, 2,050 Republicans and 2,112 Democrats.
Last year for the municipal election, she issued 28 absentee ballots for the Democratic primary and 165 for the November election. This year with COVID-19 in play, Yarbrough issued approximately 450 absentee ballots. The remainder were issued by the Secretary of the State’s Office.
“Approximately 2,010 applications were processed via the state’s election system, yet my office ended up issuing the actual absentee ballots for approximately 200-plus of these when the state’s vendor mail house system failed,” said Yarbrough. “It was an arduous task, but we made it work here in North Haven. My job is to work with the registrar of voters to ensure to the best of our abilities that all electors can vote and none are disenfranchised.”
While the normal process for obtaining an absentee ballot is completing and filing the form found on the town’s website or the secretary of the state’s website portal.ct.gov/SOTS and then filing it with the Town Clerk’s Office. For the Aug. 11 primary, the executive order issued absentee ballot applications to all registered Democrats and Republicans; the process for the November election has not yet been decided.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has said absentee ballot applications will be mailed out to all eligible voters in mid-September. Yarbrough encourages those who wish to obtain an absentee ballot to do so as soon as possible. She also noted that she is available to answer any questions or address concerns at the Town Clerk’s Office or via phone at 203-239-5321 ext. 630.
“I’m not sure what the secretary of state will be doing in November, but I worry about the same types of delays and issues we experienced for the primary per their use of the mail house,” said Yarbough. “I can only truly control what comes in and out of my office, so best bet is to come to me for your voting needs. Unfortunately, I understand that COVID-19 has changed the way we do most everything in our lives, yet I will do my very best to accommodate the electors of North Haven.”
Certified Numbers
After this story went to press, the following tallies were certified:
Republican: Donald J. Trump, 720; Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, 56; Uncommitted, 79
Democrat: Joe Biden, 1,423; Bernie Sanders, 227; Tulsi Gabbard, 18; Uncommitted, 27