Vote   on   Election   Day:   Tuesday,   November 8, 2022

Polls open 6:00am to 8:00 pm

STAMFORDCT.GOV   2022   ABSENTEE   BALLOT   FAQ

Absentee Ballot FAQ

IMPORTANT   STAMFORD   2022   ELECTION   DEADLINES

November 8: Election Day--polls open at 6:00 AM, close at 8:00 PM
November 8: Absentee Ballots must be received by the Town Clerk by 8:00 PM or they will not be counted

WHO   CAN   VOTE   IN   CONNECTICUT?

If you can answer yes to all three of these questions, you can register to vote in Connecticut:
Are you at least 17 and turning 18 on or before Election Day?
Are you a US citizen living in Connecticut and a resident in the Connecticut town in which you are registering?
If you are a convicted felon, have you completed confinement and parole?

WHAT   KIND   OF   ID   DO   I   NEED?

There are two types of ID requirements in the state of Connecticut:

  1. First-time voters who registered by mail, are voting for the first time in a primary/election with federal candidates on the ballot, and have a "mark" next to their name on the official registry list (which indicates that they did not provide either a driver's license number or the last four digits of their social security number on the voter registration form). These voters must present one of these types of identification: a copy of a current and valid photo identification that shows your name and address; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows your name and address. If you do not have identification, you can cast a provisional ballot only.
  2. All other voters. These voters must present a social security card or any pre-printed form of identification that shows your name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph. If you do not have identification, you can sign a statement, under penalty of false statement, on Form ED-681, entitled "Signatures of Electors Who Did Not Present ID," provided by the Secretary of the State, that states the elector whose name appears on the official check list is the same person who is signing the form.

So, what kind of ID are we talking about? Here are a few acceptable forms of ID:

  • Driver's License
  • Passport
  • Current Utility Bill
  • Current Bank Statement
  • Government-issued Check (such as an income-tax return or a social security check)
  • Current Paycheck
  • Government Document that shows your name and address
  • Apartment Lease or Mortgage Agreement
  • College Student ID
  • Employee ID

If you have any questions about what constitutes an acceptable ID, call the Stamford Registrar of Voters office:
Democratic Registrar (203) 977-4009
Republican Registrar (203) 977-4010

GETTING   YOUR   BALLOT

After check-in, the Ballot Clerk will provide you with a paper ballot and privacy sleeve and answer any questions you may have. You may use any available privacy booth to complete your ballot. All booths are equipped with pen and magnifying sheet. Use the pen to completely fill in the oval next to the candidate of your choice.

USING   THE   OPTICAL   SCANNER

Place your ballot in the privacy sleeve and proceed to the tabulator (optical scanner). Remove the ballot from the privacy sleeve, cover the ballot with the sleeve, and insert the ballot into the scanner either right side up or down. The machine immediately scans the ballot, counts your vote and stores the ballot in a locked compartment.

CHECKING   FOR   MISTAKES

Should you make a mistake in marking your ballot, the Optical Scanner will reject it immediately and return it to you. Errors include selecting too many candidates or circling an oval rather than filling it in; or there may simply be stray marks on the ballot. The Machine Tender will assist you by reading the error message in the optical scan display window. You will be directed to the Ballot Clerk who will provide you with another ballot. The Ballot Clerk will mark the previous ballot “spoiled” and will place the spoiled ballot in a receptacle for this purpose. You then can start over.

WRITING   IN   A   VOTE

You may write in the name of a candidate that does not appear on the ballot. If you write in a name, it counts as part of the total tally of votes permitted for that office. If only one vote is permitted, you will not be able to vote for another candidate for that office. Depending on the position, in order to be valid, a write-in candidate must be registered with the Town Clerk or Secretary of the State prior to Election Day. If you write in a name, you must also fill in the appropriate bubble so that the Optical Scanner knows there is a write-in vote and can sort your ballot for manual counting at the end of the night.

ASKING   FOR   ASSISTANCE

If you are in the privacy booth and unsure about how to mark your ballot, two election officials of different political parties will be able to assist you from outside the privacy booth. If you are visually impaired or otherwise handicapped, you may choose another voter to be with you, with the permission of the Moderator, but this person cannot be your employer or a member of your union leadership. Or you may ask the Moderator to allow you to vote on the IVS handicap equipment provided at each polling location.

VOTING   AT   CURBSIDE

If a voter can drive or is driven to the polling place but is unable to leave the car, poll workers can bring a ballot and a privacy sleeve to the car.

FOR   YOUR   INFORMATION

No one is permitted to electioneer or solicit votes for a political party or candidate within 75 feet of a polling place or inside a polling place.

ABSENTEE   BALLOTS

“Access to absentee ballots was expanded this year, so voters should be aware that they may now be eligible to vote by absentee ballot,” said Secretary Kohler. “Voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot if they are unable to go to their polling place on Election Day because of absence from their town for a period of time on Election Day, because of a sickness, or because of a disability. This includes voters who are unable to go to their polling place because of a sickness or physical disability of another person, or because of the continued presence of a sickness, such as the COVID-19 virus.”

Absentee ballots allow some people to vote who would otherwise not be able to get to the polls on Election Day. However, Connecticut has strict laws regarding just who can vote absentee:

  • an active member of the US armed forces
  • someone who will be out of town during all the hours of voting on Election Day
  • someone with an illness that would prevent them from voting in person on Election Day
  • someone whose religious beliefs prevent them from performing secular activities such as voting on Election Day
  • someone performing duties as an election official at a polling place other than their own during all the hours of voting on Election Day
  • someone with a physical disability that prevents them from voting in person on Election Day

If any of the above questions pertain to you, you can apply to vote absentee.

Call the Town Clerk to request an Absentee Ballot Application: (203) 977-5280.

HOW   DO   I   VOTE   BY   ABSENTEE   BALLOT?

The first step is to secure an application for an Absentee Ballot from your Town Clerk’s office. You can do this by visiting your Town Clerk's office, sending someone in your absence to the Town Clerk's office, or calling the Town Clerk at (203) 977-5280. Once you have filled out the application, signed it, and delivered or mailed it, the Town Clerk will process your application and mail you an absentee ballot.

Absentee Ballots for the 2022 election will start to be mailed October 7, but there is no need to wait until then to apply. The earlier you receive one, the earlier you can return it.

If your application is received after October 7, your Absentee Ballot will be mailed to you as soon as your application is processed.

Complete the Absentee Ballot, carefully following the instructions that are included. Return your completed Absentee Ballot by US mail to the Town Clerk’s office, or in person at the official ballot box receptacle in the garage of the Government Center at 888 Washington Boulevard.

If you discover you must be out of town too close to election day to allow you both to receive an Absentee Ballot by mail and to return it by mail, you can go into the Town Clerk's office and apply and vote on the same day. The processing of your in person Absentee Ballot can take time. Be prepared to wait.

Only completed Absentee Ballots received before the close of polls on the day of the election will be counted. This means that if you are applying for an Absentee Ballot by mail and returning it by mail, the earlier you begin the process, the better.

WHAT   ARE   THE   CUT   OFF   DATES   FOR   APPLYING   FOR   AND   VOTING   BY   ABSENTEE   BALLOTS?

The last day for a voter to apply and vote absentee in person is November 5. However, applying as soon as you know you will need an Absentee Ballot is a good idea, because the ballot must be returned to your Town Clerk before the polls close on Election Day (8:00 PM).

Absentee Ballots need to be received by the Town Clerk office via US mail at the latest on Election Day to be counted.

The final collection of Absentee Ballots from the ballot box is at 8pm on November 8th.

In addition to regular absentee voting, Connecticut law also provides for an Emergency Absentee Ballot (see below). Emergency Absentee Ballots are intended for any voter who is suddenly injured, taken ill, or hospitalized within six days of the close of Election Day, and takes into consideration the inability of the voter to come to the Town Clerk's office.

WHAT   IS   AN   EMERGENCY   ABSENTEE   BALLOT?   HOW   IS   IT   DIFFERENT   FROM   A   REGULAR   ABSENTEE   BALLOT?

In addition to regular absentee voting, Connecticut law also provides for an Emergency Absentee Ballot. Emergency Absentee Ballots are intended for any voter who is suddenly injured, taken ill, or hospitalized within six days of Election Day.

Emergency Absentee Ballots are controlled by the Town Clerk's Office. Using an Emergency Absentee Ballot is similar to Absentee Ballots--but also profoundly different.

  1. Someone must pick up an Emergency Absentee Ballot application at the Town’s Clerk’s Office or print it out off-line in English or Spanish. That person then takes it to the sick or injured person. The voter fills out the application, designating the person allowed to handle the ballot. That person becomes the "Designee."
  2. The application is then returned to the Town Clerk’s Office.
  3. An Emergency Absentee Ballot can be sent to the address indicated on the Emergency Absentee Ballot. However, there is often no or little time to have it mailed to that address, receive it, and then mailed back. Therefore, the Designee can take the ballot directly to the voter.
  4. After the voter makes his or her voting choices, the Designee must return the completed ballot to the Town Clerk’s office by the close of Election Day (November 8, 8:00 PM).

The law specifies who can become a Designee to handle ballots for a sick or injured person:

  • a family member
  • a caregiver
  • an attending medical staff
  • a municipal police officer
  • one of the town’s Registrars of Voters, Deputy Registrar of Voters, or Assistant Registrar

Remember: The ballot must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office by the Designee by the close of voting on Election Day (8:00 PM).

ELECTION   DAY   REGISTRATION   (EDR)

What?! You mean I can register on Election Day?! Why go through that whole registration process ahead of time if I can register and vote on the same day?

One word: Convenience--and that means your convenience. But know that this may come with a substantial wait time. Our registrars will be working hard for your convenience, but plan ahead if at all possible.

Election Day Registration (EDR) was designed to help people who moved into town after the voter-registration cut-off period or for any other reason was not able to register until after the cut-off period.

Under the law, those wishing to use EDR for voting, must appear in person at the designated EDR location and declare under oath (by signing a certification provided with the EDR envelope) that they have not previously voted in the election. They must complete the application for voter registration and provide the identification that includes their name and address. Photo IDs are not necessary.

If you have no other choice, Election Day Registration can mean the difference between voting and not voting. That's why it was created. That's why it is so important.

CAUTION   FOR   VOTERS   USING   ELECTION   DAY   REGISTRATION

If you go in the evening, the Secretary of the State suggests that you get there by 7:00 PM, even if the polls close at 8:00 PM. You could be waiting online until the zero hour!

Election Day Registration ends at 8:00 PM, so allow extra time in case there's a waiting line at your EDR location. If your application hasn't been processed by 8:00 PM--even if you are on line to go through the process--you will not be able to register and to vote.

WHAT   KIND   OF   ID   WILL   I   NEED   FOR   EDR?

If you wish to make use of Election-Day Registration (EDR) to vote, you must prove both your identity and residence in the municipality. A current and valid Connecticut Driver's License, Learner's Permit, or Non-Driver's Photo Identification--with your current address--will satisfy both requirements. Other acceptable EDR identification can include these types of documents.

  • for identification: birth certificate, US passport, social security card, college photo ID
  • for proof of residency: a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows your name and address

Other types of identification may also be acceptable. If you have a question about appropriate EDR identification, call your local Registrar of Voters--preferably before Election Day. If you cannot show appropriate ID, you will not be able to vote.

WHERE   DO   I   GO   FOR   EDR?   THE   GOVERNMENT   CENTER!

Election Day Registration (EDR) will not be available at your polling place. In Stamford, you must go to the Government Center at 888 Washington Blvd. Although EDR does not take place at a polling place, it does start at 6:00 AM and continue up to 8:00 PM (it is wise to get there by 7:00 PM).