Connecticut voters who want to vote in the Aug. 11 primaries for governor and other offices should check their party registration now.
Connecticut has closed primaries. That means voters may vote only in the primary of the party in which they are enrolled. A voter who is unaffiliated, or registered with a different party, cannot ask for a Democratic or Republican primary ballot at the polls unless the voter has enrolled in that party before the required deadline.
The first step is to use the Connecticut voter lookup tool. That page asks for a town, last name, first name and date of birth. It allows voters to see their current voter-registration status and party enrollment. The page also directs voters to the online voter registration system and to the paper voter registration application.
The second step is to understand that Connecticut uses the same voter registration process for both new registrations and changes to existing registrations. This is the part that confuses many voters. Even if someone is already registered, the online system may look as if the person is registering for the first time. That does not mean the voter is creating a duplicate registration. That process is used for several kinds of changes. A voter may use it to change party enrollment, update an address, correct or update a name, or register for the first time.
For party changes, the rule is explicit. A voter changing from one party to another must pay attention to the deadline. The Secretary of the State’s party affiliation page says a voter who changes from one party to another receives party privileges three months after filing the voter registration application with the registrar of voters.
For the Aug. 11, 2026 primary, that means the party-transfer deadline is Monday, May 11.
Unaffiliated voters are different. An unaffiliated voter is not enrolled in any political party. The Secretary of the State cautions that unaffiliated is not the same as the Independent Party. A voter who writes Independent on the voter registration form will be enrolled in the Independent Party.
To change or register online, voters should go to the state’s online voter registration system through MyVote.CT.gov/register. Once there, voters should select the language, then proceed through the registration questions. Voters should not stop because the form appears to be for new voters. A currently registered voter must still complete the application so the registrar can process the change.
Voters may also register or change information in person with the registrar of voters.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.
