It's that time again! Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. On the local level, this has been an unusually quiet election cycle, possibly because many of our elected officials are running unopposed for re-election.
 |
| Democratic Get Out the Vote Rally in Waterbury, October 2, 2022 |
There are three ballot measures this year, and some potentially confusing changes to two polling locations. I've put together the information that I have, to hopefully increase voter education and voter turnout.
Where to Vote
First, check your Voter Registration Status on the Secretary of State website. This will tell you where you go to vote (your polling location).
If you are not registered to vote, or if you have questions about your voter registration, contact the Waterbury Registrars of Voters.
The City Registrars of Voters have mailed out postcards to each voter with polling locations. Be sure to check the information on the postcard before you vote, in case there have been changes.
Once you know your polling location, go to the city's Polling Places list to see which districts you are in for the State Assembly, State Senate, and U.S. Congress.
Waterbury has seven Assembly districts (68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 89), two Senate districts (15, 16), and two Congressional districts (3, 5). District maps are available on the City of Waterbury GIS site.
Last year's redistricting added slivers of Waterbury to the 68th and 89th districts. The incumbent representatives for those districts have not yet updated their graphics to include Waterbury in the towns they proudly serve.
Voters at Carrington School are now in the 68th Assembly district, a new redistricting change. The rest of the 68th is in Watertown.
 |
| Map of Waterbury's 68th District From City of Waterbury GIS website |
Voters at Wendell Cross School are now in the 89th Assembly district and either the 3rd or 5th Congressional district, depending on where they live. The rest of the 89th is in Prospect, Bethany, and part of Cheshire.
 |
| Map of Waterbury's 89th District From City of Waterbury GIS website |
Sample Ballots
Once you know your polling location, you can see a sample ballot to get a preview of what your choices will be when you vote. Waterbury's sample ballots are available at the Town Clerk's office and on the City's website.
Ballot Measures
In addition to voting for political candidates, we have three questions to answer this year.
1. Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?
Voting yes on this question allows Connecticut to pass legislation allowing in-person voting before Election Day. You can read a full explanation of what is involved with this question, including the full text of the proposed constitutional amendment, in a PDF on the City's website.
Connecticut is one of only four states that doesn't have early voting. The other three are Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. You can see more about early voting at vote.org.
The other two questions are about recreational marijuana.
2. Shall the sale of recreational marijuana be allowed in the City of Waterbury?
3. Shall the production of recreational marijuana be allowed in the City of Waterbury?
The two questions on marijuana are fairly self-explanatory. Additional information is available in a PDF on the City's website.
Local Legislators
State Assembly (State Representatives) and State Senate positions are on the ballot this year. Many of our local state legislators are running unopposed. I have included links to candidate information. Most of them don't have campaign websites, so I've linked to the best sites I could find.
68th Assembly District
Joe Polletta (R)
71st Assembly District
72nd Assembly District
Larry B. Butler (D)
73rd Assembly District
74th Assembly District
75th Assembly District
89th Assembly District
Lezlye Zupkus (R)
Kevin J. O'Leary (D)
15th Senate District
Joan V. Hartley (D)
16th Senate District
Rob Sampson (R)
We also have Judge of Probate on the Waterbury ballot. Matthew P. Vaccarelli (D) is running unopposed for reelection.
State-Wide Offices
Everyone in Connecticut will be voting on certain elected positions. I have included links to each candidate's campaign website where possible.
Governor and Lt. Governor
Ned Lamont and Susan Bysiewicz (D)
Bob Stefanowski and Laura Devlin (R)
Rob Hotaling and Stewart "Chip" Becket (I)
Secretary of the State
Stephanie Thomas (D)
Dominic Rapini (R)
State Treasurer
Erick Russell (D)
Harry Arora (R)
Jennifer Baldwin (I)
JoAnna Laiscell (L)
State Comptroller
Sean Scanlon (D)
Mary Fay (R)
Attorney General
William Tong (D)
Jessica Kordas (R)
A. P. Pascarella (I)
U.S. Senator
Connecticut has two seats in the U.S. Senate. One of those seats, currently held by Richard Blumenthal (D), is on the ballot this year.
Blumenthal's only opponent on the ballot is Leora Levy (R). She has done very little campaigning since winning the primary election, apparently because she ran out of money and is struggling to raise more. Donald Trump will be holding a fundraiser for her campaign at Mar-a-Lago on October 18.
Representative in U.S. Congress, 3rd District
Four Waterbury polling locations are in the Third Congressional District: Gilmartin School, Tinker School, St. Francis Xavier Church Hall, and part of Wendell Cross School.
Rosa L. DeLauro (D)
Lesley DeNardis (R)
Amy F. Chai (I)
Representative in U.S. Congress, 5th District
Most of Waterbury is in the "fighting fifth" district, which includes many small towns where election results favor Republicans, while the larger towns and cities favor Democrats.
This is one of the closest races in Connecticut this year. The Fifth U.S. Congressional District is currently held by Jahana Hayes (D). While Hayes is considered to be more likely to win than the Republican candidate, George Logan, it all depends on who actually turns out to vote. The race is close enough to draw national attention, with Democrats and Republicans trying to increase their control of Congress.
No comments:
Post a Comment