Wilton (and the rest of the country) heads to the polls today — at least those who haven’t already cast ballots by in-person early voting or by submitting absentee ballots. Early voting has been popular in both Wilton and across Connecticut — 55.4% of Wilton’s eligible voters have already cast a ballot in the election, the majority of them through early voting.

In Connecticut, over 740,000 votes have been cast during the two-week early voting period. That’s close to 32% of the state’s more than 2.5 million voters.

In Wilton, as of the end of the day Monday, Nov. 4, here’s how voting breaks down so far, including registration stats and votes already cast:

  • Registered voters in Wilton: 13,036 (may increase slightly with election day registration).
    • Registered Democrats: 4,357
    • Registered Republicans: 3,153
    • Registered Unaffiliated: 5,348
    • Registered Other party: 178
  • So far, 7,221 people have voted in Wilton. That’s 55.4% of all eligible voters who have already cast their votes!
    • Absentee ballots: Town Clerk Lori Kaback reports that 1,085 absentee ballots (8.3%) have been returned to the town as of Monday, Nov. 4.
    • Early voting: According to the CT Secretary of State‘s office, 6,136 people (or 47.1%) have already exercised their right to vote through in-person early voting.

The Secretary of State’s office also noted that towns won’t start opening early voting ballots until 6 a.m. on Election Day when polls open across the state. All of the early voting ballot envelopes must be opened before election workers can begin feeding the ballots into ballot tabulators.

A few details to note about absentee ballots, including how they are handled and added to vote totals:

  • All absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls, 8 p.m. on Election Day.
  • When the Town Clerk receives an absentee ballot, they check that the serial number and barcode match the voter who applied for and returned that ballot. If it matches, the clerk then secures the absentee ballot, still sealed in its envelope, until Election Day. 
  • Town Clerks pre-mark the Election Day voter list for voters whose absentee ballots were received before Election Day, to indicate the voter already voted by absentee ballot. Voters who have returned absentee ballots prior to Election Day will not be allowed to vote in a polling place on Election Day.
  • Absentee ballots that arrive on Election Day are held until after 8 p.m., at which point they’re compared to the official Election Day voter checklist. Any absentee ballot returned on Election Day by someone who voted in person in a polling place will be rejected and left unopened. This procedure ensures that no voter can vote twice, even by mistake.
  • Town Clerks feed the ballots into the tabulators to be counted after polls close on Election Day (at 8 p.m.).

Election Security

The state is taking election security seriously. According to CTNewsJunkie.com, there’s been a coordinated effort to install fire suppression mechanisms to absentee ballot dropboxes after ballot boxes were set on fire in Washington and Oregon.

And while tensions have been high elsewhere, Wilton Police are less concerned about potential trouble or disruptions at the polls in Wilton.

“At this time we have no credible threats regarding the election, and we do not have any additional patrols scheduled,” Lt. Anna Tornello told GOOD Morning Wilton on Monday. “The schools are closed; the two School Resource Officers will be available to assist with calls if needed. Patrols will be making themselves visible at the polling places throughout the day.”

Tornello added that no officers will be stationed at Wilton’s three polling locations.

For more information on voting in Wilton, including polling place locations and how to find your voting district, visit the GOOD Morning Wilton Voter’s Guide.