NEW HAVEN, Conn. — With less than a week away from Election Day, two cities in Connecticut have expanded their city clerk's hours for voters.
The City of New Haven announced Absentee Ballot Voting will be available on October 31 and November 1 from 11 AM to 5 PM at the front entrance of 200 Orange Street. On November 2, Absentee voting will only be available for those who make an appointment by calling 203-946-6400 to schedule a time. Mask wearing and social distancing will be required.
For the city of New London, the City Clerk's office will be open on October 31 from 10 AM to 1 PM. On November 1, the office will be open from 1 PM to 4 PM. It is important to note, all other city clerk services will not be available during these hours.
New London City Hall will remain closed. Voters should approach the front door and will be let in the building one at a time. Voters will need to call 860-477-5205 when outside City Hall, and staff will meet them at the door to help.
New London voters were given considerations by the city:
- All voters must already be registered.
- Voters must have valid I.D.
- Fill out an absentee ballot application (available on-site).
- The clerk’s office will issue a ballot.
- The voter can place the completed ballot inside the dropbox outside, in front of City Hall.
The Secretary of State's office spoke of the expanding hours which said in part, "This is fine so long as they accommodate everyone who needs to be accommodated. Some towns have been by appointment or call when you get there, for weeks in order to allow people to request and receive absentee ballots in person."
According to the New York Times running tally, there have already been 48.6 million mail-in ballots cast as of October 28. Connecticut expanded its requirements to allow residents to vote by absentee due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has well surpassed the number of mail-ballots from the 2016 election.