Connecticut

Connecticut does not allow for curing absentee/mail ballots after Election Day. Ballots will be rejected if they lack a signature or if the signature does not match the one on file. You can track your absentee ballot using your state’s online tool. Voters who used a provisional ballot will have their information verified by registrars within six days after the election. Provisional ballots are only counted after the voter's eligibility is confirmed. 

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

Sample ballots are posted to the CT Secretary of State website.  Sample ballots for both primary and general elections can be found here.  The 2024 general election ballot will be posted after the primaries and before the start of Early Voting on October 21.  

You may return your absentee ballot application by using the safe and secure absentee ballot drop box that is stationed outside your Town Hall, or mail directly to your Town Clerk using the postage-paid envelope included in the mailing or your own envelope with postage. If you have any questions, you can call your Town Clerk for more information. 

Connecticut now requires each municipality in the state to establish at least one early voting location. There will be 14 days of early voting for general elections, 7 days for most primaries, and 4 days for special elections and presidential preference primaries. 

Please note that early voting will not be an option for Town Referenda or Town Committee elections.

Other exceptions:

• State holidays are always excluded from the early voting period
• In 2024, Easter is also excluded
• Exclusions don't usually extend the period

Early Voting Hours:

For specific hours, please contact your local elections official. 

Same Day Registration for Early Voting

During a primary election, registering before noon allows you to vote the next day. Registering after noon allows you to vote the day after. For regular elections, you can register and vote on the same day at an early voting location.

Early Voting vs. Absentee Voting

No excuse is required for early voting, but an excuse is still required for absentee voting. Early voting is done in-person, while absentee ballots may be returned in-person, via mail, or to a drop box.

Your next election date can be found here https://www.vote411.org/connecticut

To be eligible to vote you must be:

• A U.S. citizen living in Connecticut
• At least 17 years old and turning 18 years old by Election Day
• Done with confinement and parole if previously convicted of a felony and have had your voting rights restored

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In Connecticut, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction. If you lost your voting rights because of a conviction, you could register to vote immediately after release. Your voting rights are not restricted by pretrial detention, misdemeanors, probation, or parole unless you have been convicted of election offenses. In that case, you must complete any terms of probation and parole. 

Students

If you are a student at a college or university in Connecticut, you can choose where you want to register to vote. You can register to vote either at your university address or your home address in another state. You decide which place you consider your home.

However, you can only be registered to vote in one place. If you move, you must update your registration to your new address.

To register to vote in Connecticut, you need some form of ID. You don't need a photo ID to vote, but most voters need an ID that shows either your name and address, your name and signature, or your name and photo. If you're voting for the first time and didn't show ID when you registered, you might need to bring an extra ID. You can find a list of acceptable forms of voter IDs here.

If you choose to vote in a different state, remember that each state has its own deadlines for registering to vote and getting an absentee ballot. Make sure to check the specific requirements for the state where you plan to vote.

Voters without traditional residence: 

In Connecticut, an individual is considered a town resident if they have a genuine connection to that specific town and express an intention to return to it when they are away. This connection can be established through activities such as spending time in the town, staying overnight, and planning to return to it in the future. 

Voters who do not have traditional housing are allowed to utilize a local shelter or post office as their mailing address when registering to vote. At the same time, they can provide a specific location, such as a park bench, as their physical address. It is crucial to take responsibility for checking mail at the address provided. After successful registration, a confirmation letter will be sent to you via mail. 

You are required to show identification when registering to vote in person.

Acceptable identification includes anything with a name and address:

• Connecticut driver's license
• a utility bill, or even a checkbook.

If you register by mail, you must provide your Connecticut driver's license or the last four digits of your Social Security number on the voter registration form, which will be confirmed by the state's centralized voter registration system. This will avoid additional ID requirements for first-time voters in federal elections.

You must either show ID or sign a one line affidavit at the polling place if you have not provided proper identification when registering. A photo ID is not required.

Acceptable forms of ID at the polling place are:

• A Social Security card
• Any other pre-printed form of identification that shows your name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph.
• Any current and valid photo ID that shows your name and address
• Copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address

If you do not have ID, the affidavit form requires your name, address, date of birth, and signature. The affidavit states, under penalty of false statement, that you are the one whose name appears on the official checklist.

First time voters who registered to vote by mail and did not provide acceptable ID at registration must show ID at the polls or with their absentee ballots. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• Copy of a current and valid photo ID
• Copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows your name and address.

If you are a first time voter, you will be required to present identification and may not use the secretary of state's affidavit.

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.

Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted no later than 6 days after the election.

For Presidential elections, local results will be certified no later than 48 hours after the polls close.

Official election results will be uploaded on Connecticut’s Secretary of State website, on the last Wednesday of November.

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!

In order to be a poll worker in Connecticut, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Connecticut
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be entitled to compensation
• Political affiliation generally required
• Be a resident of the town that you apply
• Complete required training
• Students with residency in the town who are 16 years or older may work with written permission from a parent or guardian

To sign up, contact your local registrar's office.

Polling places will be open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day.

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource. If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Please click here for a list of Fairfield, CT polling places.

Connecticut is a “partially closed” primary state. Each party has the ability to choose whether to allow unaffiliated voters or voters not registered with their party to participate in their primary, however, currently unaffiliated voters are NOT allowed to participate in the primary elections. This decision is made before the election cycle begins.

If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

You may vote a provisional ballot if you meet a specific situation.

Provisional ballots are issued in the following situations:

• You claim to be an elector in a jurisdiction, but you are not on the official voter list
• The registrar determines that you cannot be restored or transferred from another polling place
• A polling district moderator decides that you may not vote in the primary or election
• You fail to provide appropriate identification

Connecticut does not offer a provisional ballot in elections where there is no federal office on the ballot. Provisional ballots will be counted no later than 6 days after the election.

All polling places must be accessible. If you require assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to write or to read the ballot, assistance may be given by a person of your choice. This person may accompany you into the voting booth. This can be a person of your choosing but cannot be:

• Your employer
• An agent of such employer
• An officer or agent of your union
• A candidate whose name appears on the ballot, unless they are a member of your immediate family

A disabled person may, at any time, request a paper ballot for electors with disabilities.

Voters who have difficulty standing may ask to move to the front of the line or ask poll workers to direct them to a chair.

You may also request a ballot be brought to you outside the polling location. You must show proper ID and must mark the ballot in front of officials, but not in a way that will violate your privacy.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

You may register to vote on Election Day at a designated Election Day Registration locations in each town (not at your polling place). You will need to provide proof of identity and residency in order to register. You can find a list of locations here. NOTE: Election Day registration is NOT available for primary elections. 

For primary elections, applications must be postmarked by the 5th day before the primary. You may register to vote in person at your town clerk or registrar until 12pm the last business day before the primary. Note: In order to participate in a primary in Connecticut, you must be registered with either the Democratic or Republican party, those unaffiliated with either party cannot participate.  

For a general election, your application must be postmarked by the 7th day before the election. You may register to vote in person with your registrar by the 7th day before an election.

You may now register to vote online! Click here and follow the prompts to fill out your application.

Not registered? Use our registration tool to fill out your application!

Connecticut allows voters to request 2 hours off of unpaid leave on Election Day if requested up to two days beforehand.

To verify your voter registration status

The voting systems used in Connecticut are the optical scan and DRE.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil, fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. In some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device which checks your card or paper on site to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen, such as a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because many companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card which you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one screen. Often, with these big screen devices, you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. Some have a keyboard, so that you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource.