Answers from Fred DeCaro, Registrar of Voters
Q&A on How to Vote: What You Need to Know
Q. What is important for people to know who are voting in person?
All our traditional polling places will be open the normal voting hours of 6AM-8PM. When you vote in person, your ballot is immediately counted by the tabulator. And if you make a mistake, the ballot is immediately returned to you and you can fix it with a fresh ballot.
If you are voting in person, please read and understand the state-issued guidance around voter ID. A poster (https://www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5248) issued by the State of CT can be found at every check-in table explaining CT’s rules. Bringing the proper ID expedites the voting process. If you do not have an ID with you, you can still vote by filling out an affidavit.
Please check your registration prior to coming to the polls. There is an excellent Voter Lookup Tool on the Town of Greenwich website at https://www.greenwichct.gov/1191/Voter-Information-Lookup The tool will confirm you are an active voter, confirm your voting address, remind you of your polling place.
Hint: If you didn’t get an absentee ballot application in the mail, you may not be registered to vote. Please use the Voter Lookup tool to check.
If you are not registered to vote, or if your address is not correct, now is the time to fix this. If you have a valid CT driver’s license, you can register to vote paperlessly by visiting https://voterregistration.ct.gov You can also use that same link to change your address. Fixing these items is much harder on Election Day. Please do it now.
Registering to vote is not a long process. But it becomes more involved if you don’t do it ahead of time and instead register at Election Day Registration in Town Hall on Election Day. If possible, please use the online tool. If you would prefer a paper form, please email vote@greenwichct.org and we will send you one.
Q. How are you making sure that it is safe to vote at the polls?
The safety of voters AND poll workers is paramount. For the primary, we added plexiglass barriers, hand sanitizer, and free gloves. Per the Governor’s orders, all voters should be wearing a mask. We will happily provide you with a mask if you need one.
For the November election, we continue to increase our safety protocols by having extra staff assigned to clean the polling places. We have acquired extra voting booths so we can clean them in-between voters. We will have tape on the floor showing six-foot lengths when waiting in line. We also encourage voters to bring their own book or clipboard to write against and bypass the privacy booths entirely. You can also bring your own ball-point pen (blue or black ink, please) if you like. Do not bring a sharpie-type permanent marker. We will be sanitizing the markers we provide throughout the day.
Of those voters who answered our survey about their in-person voting experience in August, 94% said they felt either “very safe”, or “extremely safe – as safe as possible.”
Q. Absentee ballot applications will soon be arriving? What do we need to tell people about requesting an absentee ballot?
Absentee ballot applications should be arriving right about now. If you are planning on voting with this method, please take the proper steps to receive your ballot expeditiously.
• Promptly complete your application.
• Follow all directions carefully and return the application to Greenwich’s Town Clerk.
• Either mail it using the included postage prepaid envelope or drop it in one of Greenwich’s new Ballot Boxes.
• The Ballot Boxes are located outside Town Hall near the visitor parking lot in the former parking meter kiosk and in the lobby of the Police Station.
If you return your application promptly, the first batch of absentee ballots will be mailed on October 2. Please be patient while the post office delivers the ballots.
You can use the Voter Lookup tool to check the status of your absentee ballot application and ballot. The voter lookup tool (https://www.greenwichct.gov/1191/Voter-Information-Lookup) will show you one of the following statuses regarding your absentee ballot.
• Your application has been received
• Your ballot has been issued
• Your ballot has been received back by the Town Clerk.
Q. Is there anything particular about voting absentee that people should know?
Please follow all absentee ballot instructions exactly – failure to follow instructions may invalidate your vote.
• Put the ballot inside the inner envelope.
• Sign the inner envelope.
• Only put one ballot in the return envelope.
• Most importantly, don’t delay – late arriving absentee ballots cannot be counted.
Deposit your ballot in one of Greenwich’s ballot boxes which are available 24/7 up to 8 PM on Election Day November 3. Or mail your ballot as soon as possible. CT law states that it is the receipt of the ballot by the Town Clerk, not the postmark, which determines if it will be counted.
Q. Can I help my friend or neighbor with their absentee ballot?
There may be a desire to help others with the completion or return of their absentee ballot. When in doubt, avoid the running afoul of the strict laws about handling absentee ballots.
The Secretary of the State has published very clear guidelines about assisting others and handling ballots. Below is just a small excerpt of the rules. Please read them at https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Voter-Information/Absentee-Ballot-Fact-Sheet and avoid the Class D Felonies listed as part of the guidelines.
Regarding the absentee ballot application process:
• If you complete any portion of the absentee ballot application for someone else, sign the form as the “Assister” and print/type your name, residence address, and phone number.
• Remember, you must sign the application form if you assist with a ballot application!
Regarding assistance with completing or returning the ballot:
• If you are not a “designee” don’t take possession of a ballot or deliver a completed ballot!
• Only the voter’s immediate family member or healthcare provider may assist the voter as a “designee,” so if you are neither, don’t assist with/be present when the voter completes their ballot.
• A “designee” is:
o A person caring for the applicant due to applicant’s illness or disability;
o An applicant’s family member, designated by the applicant, and who agrees to act as a designee;
o Or, if no such person consents or is available, a police officer, registrar of voters, or assistant or deputy registrar of voters in applicant’s town/city of residence.
• These are criminal violations
It is a class D felony:
• for any person not authorized by law to possess the official absentee ballot of an applicant to whom it was issued;
• for any candidate or agent of a candidate, political party or committee to knowingly be present when absentee ballot applicant executes an absentee ballot;
• to commit a false statement in absentee balloting;
Q. What should we know about obtaining the results of the election?
Because of the high volume of absentee ballots, it is unlikely results with any certainty will be published on Election Night. The legislature has effectively extended the time to report results until the Monday after the election. While we do not expect to use all the time allotted, there is no way to properly give totals when absentee ballots are still being dropped off in drop boxes around town at 8PM.
You can sign up to get notified when results are published by visiting https://www.greenwichct.gov/vote and scrolling down to the section “Sign Up to Get Turnout Reports and Election Night Results”. An email will be sent out within minutes of the results being published to the State of CT’s Election Results Reporting website.
Q. Any final thoughts?
In 2016, Greenwich had the highest turnout of any large municipality in CT. Over 85% of registered voters came to the polls. The Secretary of the State awarded us with the Democracy Cup in honor of this achievement.
In 2018, Greenwich turnout, while still high, was not as good as West Hartford, and we had to relinquish this honor.
In 2020, it’s time we bring the Democracy Cup back to Greenwich. You can help make this happen simply by casting your vote in November!
Learn more about the Democracy Cup and our local award, the Greenwich Turnout Trophy, at:
https://www.greenwichct.gov/1690/Bring-Back-the-Democracy-Cup online
VOTE!
