CONNECTICUT, USA — Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day and, in Connecticut, residents are registering in record numbers.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says has already broken a record for the number of registered voters in the state by some 200,000.
"Over 2.2 million voters, never anything like it before in living memory shall we say," said Merrill
The Wallingford Democrat Registrar of Voters, Robert Avery, said Tuesday his office, which he shares with Republican Registrar of Voters, Chet Miller, is expecting roughly 60% of their registered voters to submit their ballots by mail.
"People don’t want to jeopardize their health," the Secretary of the State said. "Even though we kept telling everyone it’s OK to go to the polls. We are doing everything according to CDC guidelines."
The poll workers are charged with making certain voters wear masks and are socially distanced. The workers are provided with PPE, including, masks, shields, and gloves. And, there is constant sanitizing taking place.
Wallingford says its voters will be given disposable gloves to wear. When finished, voters will discard their pen into a box.
"I think you can feel safe, but still there are a lot of people that are in a pretty high-risk category," said Merrill.
And, the SOTS emphasized that protections are in place for those who choose the mail-in option "to make sure that you are the person who sent in the ballot. We count only one vote for each person."
She encouraged hand delivering of absentee ballot applications or the ballots themselves.
"There’s a new very secure ballot box in front of every town hall in the state and those ballot boxes are specially constructed," Merrill said.
Ballots must be received no later than 8 PM on Election Day.
Technically, the last day to register to vote is October 27, one week before Election Day. However, the Secretary of the State says, if you faced circumstances that prevented you from registering before the deadline, you may register on Election Day at the town hall, where you will also be required to cast your ballot.