Early voting began on Monday at Southbury Town Hall, giving registered voters two weeks to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.
The process is not new to Southbury – the town has held four early voting sessions before – but it is still finding its local rhythm within the walls of Room 205.
In the first three hours of early voting, some 40 residents had cast their ballots, with many saying the experience was about convenience.
Susan Carroll made her way to the polls on Monday morning, saying she had only just found out about the option of early voting.
“I usually have to wait in line for half an hour, but this is great,” said Carroll. “I love it.”
Members of the town’s Registrar of Voters were on hand to assist with setup and same-day registration, as well as the inevitable technology hiccups.
A total of eight laptops, five printers, two scanners, and a handful of volunteers helped move a steady flow of residents from sign-in to the voting booths.
Marie Papaioannou, a member of the town’s Registrar of Voters, acknowledged that it was a longer ballot this time around, but adjustments have been made from prior elections to keep the process from disarray.
“We’re trying to make sure everything runs smoothly,” said Papaioannou. “There’s lots of technology.”
In Connecticut, registered voters have 14 days of early voting for general elections. For primaries, it’s 7 days, and for special elections and Presidential Primaries, voters are given 4 days of early voting.
Papaioannou said she would like to see the early voting process become uniform, with a set number of days for all early voting scenarios.
In Southbury, the 2024 Presidential election saw a voter turnout of 83% of registered voters, compared to the municipal election in 2023 that saw 41% of registered voters come out.
Voters’ Voice
For voters like Steve Anderson and Kari Bennett, the cloud of national politics influenced them to come out on Monday to make their voices heard on local issues.
Anderson, a member of the town’s Senior Center, made it clear that a priority should be made on keeping senior services available, rather than scaling them back.
Bennett said she would like to see progress made at the 45-acre parcel of land at the Southbury Training School, which could be redeveloped for a mix of housing opportunities.
“We need to move forward with plans for the Southbury Training School,” said Bennett.
One of the first voters on Monday was once a candidate for President of the United States in 1964 — well, sort of.
Jeanne Abel, 88, now residing in Southbury, ran as an independent write-in candidate in 1964 as an elaborate prank when she was living in the Bronx and in her 20s.
Going by the alias Yetta Bronstein, she and her late husband Alan concocted the idea that garnered media attention with her slogan, “Vote for Yetta, and things will get Betta”.
Today, Abel finds herself at Southbury Town Hall, just a few days after attending a local No Kings rally, explaining her desire to take action in any way she can.
“I feel the need to get out and do something,” said Abel. “I have to do something, but I feel like it’s not enough.”
Early voting runs from Monday, October 20, to Sunday, November 2, and individuals can register to vote and vote on the same day. Election day is Tuesday, November 4.
The hours for early voting are as follows:
October 20: 10:00am-6:00pm (Monday)
October 21: 10:00am-6:00pm (Tuesday)
October 22: 10:00am-6:00pm (Wednesday)
October 23: 10:00am-6:00pm (Thursday)
October 24: 10:00am-6:00pm (Friday)
October 25: 10:00am-6:00pm (Saturday)
October 26: 10:00am-6:00pm (Sunday)
October 27: 10:00am-6:00pm (Monday)
October 28: 8:00am-8:00pm (Tuesday)
October 29: 10:00am-6:00pm (Wednesday)
October 30: 8:00am-8:00pm (Thursday)
October 31: 10:00am-6:00pm (Friday)
November 1: 10:00am-6:00pm (Saturday)
November 2: 10:00am-6:00pm (Sunday)
The Southbury Record 