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10/26/2021 12:00 AMThe 2021 municipal election is just days away. The seven polling locations serving East Haven’s five districts will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2 as registered voters cast their ballots for mayor, Town Council, Town Clerk, Board of Finance, and Board of Education.
According to the Office of the Registrar, “we plan to follow the governor’s guidelines and guidance provided by the Secretary of the State in the 2021 Connecticut Safe Polls Handbook.” Per CDC guidelines, marking pens, voting booths, and other high contact surfaces will be wiped down. Masks are encouraged, but not required.
The Candidates
Mayor Joe Carfora (D) is seeking re-election to a second term in office, challenged by Sal Maltese (R). Incumbent Stacy Gravino (R) again running for town clerk and will be challenged by Democratic candidate Lisa Balter.
There are eight candidates running for four Board of Finance seats: Democrats Richard A. DePalma, Christopher M. Perdo, Alfred Purzycki, and Richard Esposito and Republicans Ralph (Butch) Mannochi, Anthony J. Vigliotti, Ralph J. Vitale, and Beth Purcell.
Nine of the 12 candidates running for the Board of Education will win a seat. Democratic candidates are Patricia (Tia) DePalma, Dominic Milano, Erika Santino-Santiago, Michele DeLucia, Karyn Putney, and Jack Stacey. Republican candidates include Jennifer DiLungo, Michael B. Enders, Lynn A. Torello, Thomas Hennessey, James R. Roaix Jr., and Bildon L. Francis.
Voters will choose up to three of the six Town Council candidates in their corresponding district (for a full list of candidates, see sidebar).
East Haven’s districts are based on residents’ street addresses. Residents with questions should call 203-468-3320, email vote@townofeasthavenct.org, or search “polling locations” to see a list of polling locations by street address.
Polling locations include: District 1 at Tuttle School (108 Prospect Road), District 1S at East Farm Village (55/65 Messina Drive), District 2 at Momauguin School (93 Cosey Beach Road), District 3/3S at Deer Run School (Route 80), District 4 at Overbrook School (54 Gerrish Avenue), District 5 at Hays School (1 Maple Street), and District 5S at Woodview (1270 North Hight Street).
How to Register
Voter registration with the Registrar of Voters Office closed on Oct. 26, but there will be an Election Day Registration (EDR) option. Any unregistered East Haven resident who is eligible to vote or any registered voter who has just recently moved to East Haven may register and vote in person on Election Day at the town’s EDR table in the lower level of Town Hall from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Proof of identification and residency is required to register.
According to the Secretary of the State’s website portal.ct.gov/sots, “by law, a person is eligible to register and vote if he or she is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) age 18 or older, (3) a bona fide resident of the town in which he or she applies for admission, and (4) has completed confinement and parole if previously convicted of a disfranchising felony.” EDR is not available at polling places.
The East Haven Town Clerk’s Office will be open for the purpose of absentee balloting from 9 a.m. to noon on the Saturday, Oct. 30. Monday, Nov. 1 is the last day that absentee ballots will be issued.
Absentee ballots must be returned by the elector in person to the town clerk by the end of the business day on Monday, Nov. 2. Absentee ballots can be received by or delivered by a family member or placed in the drop box in front of Town Hall by 8 p.m. on Election Day. An overseas ballot must be mailed or otherwise returned by the elector or applicant so that it is received by the Town Clerk not later than the close of the polls on Election Day.
To confirm their current voter registration status online, voters can use the Voter Lookup Tool at portaldir.ct.gov/sots.
For information on all the candidates and all the races as well as letters to the editor and expanded voter information, visit Zip06.com/election.
For information on the Democratic Town Committee, visit www.easthavendtc.com, email info@easthavendtc.com, or find EastHavenDTC on Facebook.
For information on the Republican Town Committee, email rtceasthaven@gmail.com or find EastHavenRTC on Facebook.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story revered the affiliations for town clerk candidates Stacy Gravino (R) and Lisa Balter (D).