There was a steady, but manageable, stream of early voters at the Wilton High School Clune Center around noon on Thursday, Oct. 31 — a stark contrast to the long line that went out the door on the first day early voting opened just 10 days before.
Democratic Registrar of Voters Karen Birck said more than 4,000 people have participated in early voting in Wilton — more than 30% of the town’s almost 13,000 eligible voters.
“We were not prepared for the volume of people that have come to early voting,” Birck said, adding officials only expected around 2,500 between absentee ballots and early voting.
But, she added, it makes sense that people would take advantage of the opportunity.
“I think people who are passionate about their candidate know that this is the last thing that they can do to support their candidate and they want to make sure that their vote gets in,” Birck said.
When residents arrive in the lobby of the Clune Auditorium to participate in early voting, they check in and poll workers verify their status as eligible voters. Each voter receives a ballot with an envelope and then fills out that ballot at a privacy booth. After sealing their completed ballots, voters place the sealed envelopes in a secured receptacle.
Each night after voting ends, the registrar’s office makes sure all ballots cast that day are delivered to Town Hall, to be secured in a locked closet and then again in a locked, fire-proof cabinet.
Residents who voted early on Thursday said they were pleased with how smoothly their experiences went, how the schedule potentially allows for more people to vote, and how secure the process appears to be.
“They gave us clear instructions,” resident Elizabeth Wenman said. “I like the flexibility, especially with working.”
Residents Holly Bliss and Robert Zembroski also appreciated being able to vote early, both for voter confidence and for convenience.
“For me, it’s just less chance of voter fraud,” Zembroski said.
Bliss said everyone’s vote should be counted, adding that early voting presented more opportunities for people to cast their ballots, especially the two days that went later, until 8 p.m.
“People’s votes matter, no matter who you’re voting for,” Bliss said. “And you want to make sure that whoever you voted for is actually what’s being counted.”
Addressing Any Concerns that Arise
There has been some feedback from local voters — including one Wilton resident who reported a glitch with a scanner.
“So what we have done is, we are now hand typing in the voter’s identification number for each ballot that’s returned, then we print the label,” Birck said, adding that voters should be assured their votes are being accurately counted and private. “Every night we go through the physical ballots, and the list of who it’s been issued to, and compare them. We don’t leave until we get it 100%.”
Officials said there are bound to be technological issues, so there are contingency plans in place as well as tech support readily available.
Other concerns residents have listed include choosing the location of the high school given the current climate of school violence and political unrest.
Birck said there have been no security issues. The school posts an employee near the polling area to make sure students don’t go in, and some access points are restricted.
“Quite frankly, one of the reasons that the town selected this as a polling place is because it can be separated from the rest of the school,” Birck said. “It is connected to the rest of the school but the doors apparently are locked from the science wing and from the arts wing.”
As far as politicizing, Birck said that has also not been an issue at the high school location.
“We have had no one outside this polling place that has been handing out political literature and there is not a single political sign out there,” Birck said. “We have not had an issue with anyone coming in with inappropriate political clothing.”
Another concern residents have voiced is the lack of parking.
Birck said the high school was chosen after she and Republican registrar Annalisa Stravato looked at several facilities, which were then presented to Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker and First Selectman Toni Boucher.
“And together we decided that this is the facility in town that made the most sense,” Birck said, adding that any location would have presented some challenges.
Birck, who has been working for 11 days straight, said that while the early voting does indeed help more people to vote, she would be in favor of rolling back to 10 days — still including the weekends — to ease the burden on registrars.
Birck did add, however, that she appreciates the efforts of the staff and 40 volunteers who help throughout the process as well as the voters.
“I would just like to thank the voters of Wilton, number one, for turning out, and number two, for being patient with us while we got our rhythm going,” she said.
Early voting continues each day, now through Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
On Election Day, in-person voting will take place at all three of Wilton’s voting districts from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
- District 3: Middlebrook School Gym (131 School Rd.)
- District 1: Wilton High School (Fieldhouse Gym) (395 Danbury Rd.)
- District 2: Cider Mill School Main Gym (240 School Rd.)
Voters can look up their polling place (based on address) online:
- Voter registration Lookup (CT Secretary of State website)
- Voting District Map
- Look Up Voting District by Address
For more information about voting in Wilton, check out GOOD Morning Wilton‘s Election 2024 Special Issue Voter’s Guide.
I am very happy that we have had the opportunity to vote early this year but I strongly disagree with comments about the Zellner being separated from the rest of the school and therefore an appropriate venue. I have one contact who told me they were able to walk right in, through the auditorium and into the main school building from the voting area, I have also witnessed multiple parents who had to be rerouted for concerts (because the Zellner has been locked off even after voting has closed for the night) access the Zellner itself by accident after hours (the doors are fire doors and could be opened from the hallway). The music department has had to direct its audiences of hundreds of people though the back of the school, through a corridor where the workshop is situated, causing some confusion and actually quite entertaining chaos, evening receptions for hundreds of people were moved outside onto the sidewalk (not even in the courtyard in front of the Clune because… 75ft (thank goodness for good weather), students were reduced to tears trying to find parking spaces and running late for class on day one of early voting (parking spaces which, by the way, they have paid $150 for the privilege of having), and elderly community members are running the gauntlet every afternoon at 3pm with school buses and teenaged/ inexperienced drivers. The fact that things have run “smoothly” thus far is a happy accident – and one we can’t count on at such a politically charged time. Again, SUPER happy we have early voting but I do not understand why we didn’t utilize, for example, Comstock – which has the added bonus of established transportation already in place and familiarity for our senior citizens. Or, frankly, anywhere else that isn’t simultaneously housing 1000 kids. Not a good call.
I completely agree with Sarah. Please do not hold any future voting at the Clune while the students are in the building. When I was there on Saturday to pick up my child from theater rehearsal at 4 pm a pick up truck drove into the lot with a large “F**K Biden and everyone who voted for him” flag displayed from the back of his truck. The individual went into the Clune and then came out and was pacing the parking lot on his cell phone. It made me very uncomfortable. There was no security present. I was back there on Sunday for pick up again and went inside to vote. Again, there was no security and though there was yellow caution tape around most of the area that goes into the Clune there was a wide opening where there was not. I took photos of this in order to relay my concerns. Many students already don’t feel safe at school (with good reason based on the administration not following safety protocol earlier this year). In addition to the safety concerns it caused a major disruption for our students and their families who were attending their music concerts. Ridgefield and New Canaan had their voting at town hall, why did Wilton think it was a good choice to hold it at a school in session. I appreciate all the hard work that went into this but please exercise better judgement in the future. .
Thank you to all the people who help our democratic practices to operate legally and as efficiently as possible
This includes those citizens who participate in our democracy by voting.