HARTFORD, Conn. — Although Connecticut's presidential primary election is two weeks away, voters can actually head to the polls in just one week.
“Early voting is conducted in person and it begins next Tuesday,” said Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. “This is a new form of voting, so we have to have new expectations.”
The upcoming primary is the first election with early voting in Connecticut, so beginning Tuesday, March 26, voters will have four extra days to vote before the primary on April 2.
In 2022, voters passed an amendment changing the state constitution to allow early, in-person voting.
“This has been a 14, 16-year process for many advocates across Connecticut,” Thomas said. “I'm excited that we finally are just a week away from the rollout.”
Voters will have 14 days of early voting for general elections, seven days for most primaries, and four early voting days for presidential primaries and special elections.
For the 2024 presidential primary, early voting will take place March 26, 27, 28 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“People will have to remember to look up their early voting location,” added Thomas. “You do not want to go to your normal polling place.”
Early voting locations will vary, but Thomas says most are at town and city halls. People can find their polling locations here.
Connecticut has a closed primary, meaning only those registered with a specific political party can vote for their preferred candidate.
The deadline for unaffiliated voters to enroll in a party is March 25.
“A lot of people say why should I bother going out to vote? The presidential contest is not very competitive,” Thomas continued. “I believe you should be voting in every election, but if that's not incentive enough, please go out and help your registrars stress test the system in your town.”
As this is the first election with early voting, Thomas says her office is using it as a barometer to see if any issues arise.
“Have your say, your day,” she said. “If you miss the early voting period, nothing has changed about election day itself.”
There are already some things Thomas wants the legislature to examine, like the funding structure for municipalities, as right now all 169 towns and cities are getting the same amount of money from the state to implement early voting.
Registrars and town officials are raising concerns because some cities reported too much money, while others do not have enough.
Election Day on Tuesday, April 2 will be the same, with regular polling places open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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