This month’s municipal elections in Connecticut marked the first time voters there could register on election day, and local advocates and election officials say the process worked well. Secretary of State Denise Merrill was expecting it would mostly be younger residents showing up for same-day registration, but she said the new option attracted voters of all ages. “This is the first election it’s in effect and it did very well; we had no problems, and we think about between 1500 and 2000 people took advantage of it.” Merrill said election-day registration was particularly popular in New Haven, and most importantly, she said, it gave many people a chance to vote who otherwise would have been left out.
According to Judy Dolphin, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut and the LWVCT Education Fund, her group was very active getting the word out about election day registration. And their advice remains the same next time around: don’t wait if you can avoid it.
“By the time you get to a presidential election, people are trying to get in line and register; it’s going to be challenging; so, what I am suggesting is that you can do yourself a Thanksgiving favor and register to vote now.”
Full Article: Election Day Registration Enables Nearly 2 000 To Vote / Public News Service.