WEST HAVEN, Conn. — There’s an old saying that all politics is local and that is definitely true this year as municipal elections take center stage on Tuesday.
Municipal elections typically mean a small voter turnout, however, both political parties say they expect the intensely charged national political environment to play a role.
“At different times throughout this campaign I was concerned about the anger and the violence that’s been out there and people being intimidated and yelled at and the property damage that’s been going on,” said Nancy DiNardo, the chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party.
In Connecticut, about 37% of the electorate are Democrats and about 21% are Republican. It’s the more than 40% of unaffiliated voters that candidates are vying for that could swing the race.
“As we see inflationary pricing going up and the cost of gas and food going up. At the end of the day, Democrats are running the state and Democrats are running the country,” Ben Proto, the chair of the Connecticut Republic Party said.
Both parties said social media has injected itself into local politics like never before – whether it’s Nazi references in tweets by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, to cartoons depicting parents at a school board meeting as horror movie characters to threats made against school board candidates.
“I think social media is tremendously important and I think it’s important for people who utilize social media to understand what it is they are reading and just not accepting on face value every single thing they see on social media,” explained Proto.
The one thing both parties want residents to know is that their vote matters and will be counted fairly and securely.
“Connecticut has been one of the best states as far as making sure that everyone who wants to vote has the opportunity to vote,” said DiNardo.
Proto added: “We are not connected to the internet, we are not hackable. Our entire process is a paper process.”
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. As long as a voter is in line by 8 p.m., they can cast their ballot.
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