Merrill Reminds Voters Municipal Primaries in 23 Cities and Towns On a Wednesday instead of Tuesday

Secretary of the State Reminds Democrats and Republicans Primaries will Take Place Wednesday September 16th; Voters Have Until Tuesday 9/15 at Noon to Register for Primaries - Unaffiliated Voters can Enroll with a Major Party to Vote in Primary Hartford: Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today is reminding Democrats and Republicans in 23 Connecticut cities and towns that polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for municipal primaries on Wednesday September 16, 2015. Secretary Merrill is reminding voters that the primary voting will take place on a Wednesday this year instead of the usual Tuesday due to the occurrence of Labor Day on Monday September 7th and the coincidence of the following Tuesday with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. According to Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 9-376, the primary is to take place one week later if it falls on the Tuesday following Labor Day. The law also states that “…If the day fixed for any primary falls on a….day on which the tenets of a religion forbid secular activity, the primary shall be held on the next succeeding day…” “I want to make sure voters in communities holding primaries this year are aware of the unusual Wednesday voting date so they can make plans early to cast ballots,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief elections official. “Crucial issues related to local budgets, schools, road construction, environmental protection and other important items face towns and cities across Connecticut this year. I urge eligible voters in these towns to register with a party if they haven’t done so, and cast a ballot on Wednesday September 16th. It is very easy to register to vote, you can do it in minutes online if you have a Connecticut driver’s license. Anyone who wants a say in the future direction of their community should make sure they vote on Primary Day September 16th.” A complete list of municipal primaries taking place in Connecticut follows at the end of this news release. Eligible voters in the 23 cities and towns holding primaries who wish to register to vote in time for the primaries have until Friday September 11th to register by mail or online. The final in-person deadline to register to vote in order to cast a ballot for the primaries is 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday September 15th at a voter’s local Registrar of Voters office. Only Registered Republicans or Democrats can vote in their local party primary. Unaffiliated voters have until that same final deadline of September 15th at noon to enroll in a major party in-person if they want to vote in the primary. Polls will open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for municipal primaries in 23 communities on September 16th. Absentee ballots are now available and in order to be counted for the municipal primary, they must be received by Town Clerks’ offices no later than 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday September 16, 2015. The majority of Connecticut’s municipalities will hold a general election for municipal candidates on November 3, 2015. Voters can go to the Secretary of the State’s website www.sots.ct.gov<http://www.sots.ct.gov/> to see if they are registered to vote and where their polling place is located. Primaries will be taking place in the following communities: Primary List for September 16, 2015 (Based on information submitted to the Secretary of the State’s office by town clerks as of Monday August 31, 2015) TOWN PARTY OFFICE Bethel R First Selectman Bridgeport D Mayor, Board of Education (Districts 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139), City Clerk, Town Clerk, City Sheriffs, City Council (Districts 127, 130, 131, 132, 138) Bridgeport R City Sherriff Durham R Selectman East Haddam R Selectman East Windsor R First Selectman, Selectman Ellington R First Selectman Hampton R Tax Collector Hartford D Judge of Probate, Mayor, Treasurer, City Council, Constables Killingworth R First Selectman, Selectman, Board of Finance, Zoning Board of Appeals Alternates, Fire Commissioner, Regional Board of Ed-2yr. Vacancy Lebanon R First Selectman Middletown D Common Council, Board of Education Naugatuck R Mayor New Britain D Board of Education New Haven D Board of Alders districts 1, 11, 12, 14, 18, 20, 28, 30 New London D Mayor, City Council Norwalk D Common Council (Districts A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2), Board of Education (Districts A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2) , Second Taxing District Commissioner Portland D Town Clerk Somers R First Selectman Stamford D Board of Representatives Stratford D Town Council District 3, Zoning Commission District 1 Stratford R Town Council Districts 2, 7 Suffield D Selectman Waterbury D Board of Aldermen District 4 Waterbury R Board of Aldermen District 2 West Haven D Mayor, City Clerk, Treasurer, Tax Collector, Board of Education, Board of Assessment Appeals, Councilman at Large, Councilman