Can voters win a trophy?

#MiddleburyCT #Voting #DemocracyCup

Two trophies that sit on a pedestal by the registrars’ office at Middlebury Town Hall were awarded to the town in 2002 and 2005. They recognize the town for having the highest percentage of voter turnout in the state on Election Day. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Two trophies sitting on a marble-topped pedestal outside the registrars of voters office in Middlebury Town Hall aren’t simply part of the decor. They were awarded to the town in 2002 and 2005 when the town won the Democracy Cup for the most voters for a town of its size on Election Day. The percentages of voter turnout were 74.43 and 73.7 in 2002 and 2005, respectively.

The trophy is awarded through the Secretary of the State’s office and for many years was sponsored by the East Haddam Civic Association. It’s been a long time since we brought home a trophy. Can we bring one home this year? We have opportunities to do just that by either voting early through November 3 or being sure to get out and cast our ballots on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5.

Early voting has been far better than some expected. Statewide, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas reported in an October 28 press conference that 310,000 people across the state had already voted early. In Middlebury, 1,172 of the roughly 6,677 town’s registered voters chose early voting in the first week (October 21 to 27). Of these, 386 were Democrats, 430 were Republicans, 340 were unaffiliated, and 16 were other.

Middlebury Moderator Traci Morgan said after so few people opted to vote early in the April presidential primary (15) and August state primary (18), she hadn’t anticipated such a large turnout. “I’m surprised how busy it is,” she said. “I thought it would be more like a referendum.” It was so busy that workers ran out of preprinted envelopes the second day and had to use manila envelopes until more arrived the following day.

Middlebury Town Clerk Brigitte Bessette said she thought there had been a lot less awareness of early voting in April and August. By October, voters had become much more aware of their early voting option.

Morgan said some voters, seeing the early voting process, decided they preferred to wait until Election Day to vote. When you vote early, you don’t place your ballot in a tabulator. Instead, you place it in an envelope that you seal and then place a label across the seal that both identifies the ballot for sorting by district on Election Day and protects against ballot tampering. At the end of each voting day, ballots are stored in the town vault. They cannot be opened until Election Day.

Early voting continues through Monday, November 3, with the polls open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The location for early voting for Middlebury voters is Room 5 on the lower level of Shepardson Community Building at 1172 Whittemore Road in Middlebury.

On Election Day, November 5, the polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voting that day also will be at Shepardson Community Building, with District 1 voters casting ballots in Room 5 on the lower level and District 2 voters casting their ballots in the auditorium on the upper level. To find out your district on a street listing, go to tinyurl.com/ytjwy3zt.