Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Voter turnout through late afternoon runs close to 2008 levels

  • by Keith M. Phaneuf
  • November 6, 2012
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

With long voter lines reported in many communities, voter turnout could match the 78 percent mark achieved during the landmark 2008 presidential race, the state’s chief elections official reported late Tuesday afternoon.

“I think we’re going to hit 75 to 80 percent, and we could even be on the high side,” Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill, said just after 4:30 p.m. “There have been lines, pretty heavy voting, all day long.”

Most communities base their estimates for turnout by counting names crossed off registration lists as voters cast ballots, and then comparing those numbers with past elections.

Statewide turnout totaled 78.1 percent in the presidential contest four years ago. Merrill said during radio interviews early Tuesday that she was hopeful Connecticut could match that total, but also conceded that disruptions caused by the recent Hurricane Sandy could keep some away from the polls.

But the secretary’s office also noted that Connecticut has gained 202,000 new voters since January — and nearly 100,000 over the last six weeks alone. Those gains lifted the total number of active, registered voters to close to 2.1 million. This includes: 872,243 unaffiliated voters, 767,693 Democrats and 430,439 Republicans. The total voter list falls about 5,000 shy of the peak Connecticut hit just before the 2008 presidential election.

“I’m pleasantly surprised that we are getting as big of a turnout as we are,” Merrill added. “There’s just a really strong interest in this election.”

Merrill’s spokesman, Av Harris, said several communities reported voter lines longer than the typical 30-45 minute wait that often develops during peak voter periods in a presidential election.

Merrill’s office sent extra poll workers to assist officials in West Hartford after waits of longer than 90 minutes were reported during the morning. But some of those delays also could be attributed to a local decision to dramatically consolidate the number of polling precincts from 23 down to nine.

But Harris noted that some waits of 45 minutes or slightly longer were reported in New Haven.

Merrill’s also received a report that Hartford officials might be running low on provisional ballots. The office is investigating and will provide more ballots, Harris added.

And the president of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut, Melissa J. Russell, said voters were lined up 40 people deep to cast ballots in her hometown of Bethlehem during the morning work commute and as late as 11 a.m. — an unusually large number for the small, rural town in northwestern Connecticut.

“We’re down just a little bit from four years ago, but we’ve still been very busy,” she said. “Those were some long lines for us.”

Those hoping to cast ballots at Cheshire High School around 11 a.m. waited 30 to 40 minutes, leading more than one prospective voter to head back out the door.

“This is going to take hours,” one man in a Yankees jacket said as he eyed the crowd, an exasperated tone in his voice. “I’m not going to be able to vote.”

Not everyone was dismayed by the crowd.

“Wow, this is good news!” U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy said as he made his way toward the back of the line with his wife and two young sons. Murphy, a Democrat who lives in Cheshire, is running for U.S. Senate against Greenwich businesswoman Linda McMahon.

As it turned out, Murphy’s wait wasn’t as long as anticipated. Cheshire, like several other towns, divided its lines by street name, and the Murphys mistakenly got in the wrong line, the longer of the two. Elizabeth Esty, who is running for Murphy’s 5th House District seat and who lives near the congressman and happened to be voting around the same time, pointed out that he was in the wrong line.

“Look at the service that Elizabeth Esty provides,” Murphy announced.

“I saved him half an hour,” Esty told an aide.

Murphy spent most of his wait to vote chatting with fellow voters and helping his son, Owen, buy a snack from high school students raising money for Best Buddies, which partners students with special needs with classmates.

Majority Democrats in the state Senate were cautious in the days leading up to the election after witnessing Super-PAC spending fueled by a Fairfield County millionaire attack several Democratic incumbents. The Senate Democratic Caucus has said that spending has topped $500,000 spread across five races.

But Adam Joseph, the caucus’ spokesman, said strong Election Day turnout has been a positive sign.

“We haven’t heard of anything about a catastrophes from our lawyers,” he said. “From what we’ve heard, turnout is good.”

The top Republican in the state Senate, Minority Leader John P. McKinney of Fairfield, said the Super-PAC spending is “fair” and has backed ads that are factually correct.

“I hope it helps,” he said. “The Democrats have been helped by a lot of outside money for years with union support. I don’t hear Democrats screaming about outside money being spent on” their Congressional candidates. “They’re just complaining that it’s being used for a campaign against them.”

McKinney also was encouraged by the strong turnout, hoping it will help Republican efforts to capture two long-held Democratic seats in southeastern Connecticut where the incumbents — Edith Prague of Columbia and Eileen Daily of Westbrook — have retired.

“Those have been hotly contested, and I think both parties are going to be focusing on those seats right now,” McKinney said. “A pickup of those seats would change a lot of what happens in the Senate.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith M. Phaneuf

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Health issues carried weight on the campaign trail.
by Victoria Knight | Kaiser Health News

Even with the Democrats’ newfound Senate majority, differences in health policy between the party’s moderate and progressive wings will persist.

Trump’s pardons included health care execs behind massive fraud
by Fred Schulte | Kaiser Health News

At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers. “These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio, chief executive officer of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, […]

‘It’s a nightmare:’ A growing number of seniors are unable to book vaccine appointments as problems mount
by Dave Altimari and Jenna Carlesso

The state acknowledged Friday in an email to local health workers that some residents are waiting days for a callback.

Panel recommends small, inflationary pay hike for state officials
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut's part-time legislature hasn't received a pay hike since 2001. The annual base-pay for senators and representatives is $28,000.

Police task force seeks wider applicant pool for watchdog role
by Kelan Lyons

The task force sent four recommendations — and two that didn't get unanimous approval— to lawmakers for the 2021 session.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Opinion Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Opinion Connecticut’s $100 million college shell game
by Stephen Adair

The plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges in Connecticut into one college with 12 campuses is called “Students First,” which is ironic because it does not fund students first.  It funds a new administration in a new, statewide bureaucracy. The Board of Regents (BOR) and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system office […]

Opinion Inconsistent television captioning is a barrier to equal access
by Jeffrey Bravin and Barbara Cassin

Our world long ago entered the age of the 24-hour news cycle, and a full understanding of the “who, what, when, where and why” of the news is critical for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing citizens. Yet, Connecticut’s inconsistent quality of television captioning locks our community out of the complete sense of what is happening.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO