Wilton’s registrars of voters conducted their yearly high school voter registration drive at Wilton High School on Feb. 21-22, and in the two days the registrars were at the high school, more than 70 students registered to vote.

High school students are eligible to register to vote if they are U.S. citizens and will turn 18 on or before Election Day–which falls on Tuesday, Nov. 6 this year. This eligibility allows 17-year-old students to vote in any Aug. 14, 201 primary election, as long as they turn 18 by Nov. 6, 2018.

Registrars Carole Young-Kleinfeld (D) and Annalisa Stravato (R) report that it was a relatively busy year for student registrations.

“My experience is that Presidential Election years seem to attract about 80-plus students, so to have received 71 [registrations] in a non-Presidential Year is great!” writes Young-Kleinfeld in an email to GOOD Morning Wilton. She adds that during the WHS registration drive last year–a municipal election year–there were approximately 40 students who registered.

Municipal registrars are required by CT State law to conduct one day of voter registration for students between January and the last day of school. Wilton’s registrars have always held two days of voter registration–and always back to back in order to give students who forget to bring identification (licenses or SSN) a second chance.

“I think we’re right to do it that way,” says Young-Kleinfeld. “This year we had registrations divided almost evenly between the two days.”

Young-Kleinfeld and Stravato sent a letter to the editor to local media following the drive:

To the Editor:

Wilton’s Registrars of Voters Annalisa Stravato and Carole Young-Kleinfeld congratulate the 71 students who stepped up to participate in their democracy by registering to vote at the recent two-day voter registration drive held at Wilton High School. We especially thank WHS principal Dr. Bob O’Donnell for his support, along with volunteers from the League of Women Voters and from our office—Christine Terradista, Karen Birck, Florence Johnson, Linda Fein and Karen Silverberg. We welcome our newest electors to the family of Wilton voters and look forward to seeing them at the polls.

Sincerely,

Carole Young-Kleinfeld and Annalisa Stravato
Registrars of Voters