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Conn. Secretary Of The State Expects Minimal Voting Disruption Due To Storm

Conn. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill
Jessica Hill
/
AP
Conn. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill

 

Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said disruptions to the state’s primary election on Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Isias have been minimized. 

As of noon Monday, only 1 percent of polling places were still without power — most of which are in Fairfield County, which was hit hard by the storm.

 

Merrill said she is more concerned that the nearly 300,000 voters who requested absentee ballots will be able to get their votes counted by the end of polling Tuesday. 

 

"So, don’t try to mail your ballot if you just got it," Merrill said Monday. "But you can go down to town hall where there is a ballot box in front of every town hall, you drop it in that ballot box any time up through 8 o’clock on Tuesday, it will be counted."

 

She said voter safety will be a priority.

 

"It’s like going to the grocery store," she said. "We are used to this now, where they only allow a certain number in at a time and where everyone has to wear a mask if they enter the building, so it’s going to be the same kind of thing. And I think people can feel pretty safe, you know, as much as any of us can be when using those types of guidelines. So we urge everyone to bring a mask."

 
Primary election results are not expected for days — if not weeks — to count absentee ballots. Towns have access to 250 volunteer poll workers on standby to help.

 

Polling is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday.

A native Long Islander, J.D. is WSHU's managing editor. He also hosts the climate podcast Higher Ground. J.D. reports for public radio stations across the Northeast, is a journalism educator and proud SPJ member.