Yet another embarassing misstep during an election is prompting officials to seriously look for changes on the role of registrars of voters, but the political implications of doing so may prove daunting. A Hartford registrar of voters failed to get the voting lists to a number of polling stations in that city for the 6 a.m. opening, which meant that some voters were turned away. Those lists are supposed to be available for inspection by the public a week ahead of time and delivered to the polling sites by 5 a.m. on Election Day. Among the voters who were able to wait until the list was delivered was Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who was delayed a half-hour. Others, however, didn’t have that kind of flexibility and left without voting. The Democrats then obtained a court order that two polls remain open an additional half-hour Tuesday based on the testimony of people who had to leave.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill already has filed a complaint with the State Election Enforcement Commission against the Hartford registrars for the alleged violation of four election law statutes, which her attorney, Ted Bromley, characterized as “gross misconduct.”
State Rep. Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, speaking on the Colin McEnroe show on WNPR Wednesday afternoon, said the incident “is inexcusable and I think there will be changes.”
“That office needs to be professionalized and maybe that is the case beyond Hartford, frankly,” he said. “This is just unacceptable in 2014 that people were denied the right to vote in this country. It is beyond embarrassing.”
Full Article: Hartford voting snafu may prompt changes to registrar system.