On a perfect day for voting two days after President Obama visited Central High School to urge support of Governor Dan Malloy for another four-year term, city electors cast votes for the state’s highest office as well as other state and federal legislative seats. Bridgeport has roughly 58,000 registered voters, down several thousand electors from four years ago following a voter file scrubbing by elections officials.
Elections officials say roughly 1300 absentee ballots have been returned to the Town Clerk’s Office. Another 300 or so votes will be cast through same-day registration and voting.
Democratic incumbent Malloy is locked in a tight race with Republican Tom Foley, his 2010 opponent. Four years ago a ballot shortage in Bridgeport (not a problem this time, they print one ballot per each voter) and a razor-close contest did not produce an official winner until days after election day.
The ballot shortage four years ago materialized in some precincts about the midpoint of voting. Some voters left in frustration but some precincts remained open after the traditional poll closing time of 8 p.m.
Malloy around 1 p.m. campaigned in front of the African American-rich Wilbur Cross precinct where he’s expected to run up a sizable number. He was joined by U.S. Senators Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and State Senate candidate Marilyn Moore who’s facing Republican Rick Costantini in the city-suburban district that includes Trumbull and a portion of Monroe.
Former Mayor Joe Ganim, perhaps contemplating a comeback effort next year, was also schmoozing in front of Wilbur Cross with his brother Judge of Probate Paul Ganim who’s running unopposed for his fifth four-year term.
Voting at around 1. Passed by Blackham, a lot of people!!! Same for Black Rock.
But when did they start running out of ballots last year?
If people can’t vote, people can’t vote.
Heard the Cross was over 500 ballots cast.
Winthrop school has a steady flow. Machine where you deposit completed ballot is down. Not happy about that!
Lennie, isn’t it impossible to compare ballot counts from this year to 2010? I would think the ballot counts would be significantly higher today than in 2010 because of the ballot shortage.
Malloy has filed in court to extend voting until 9:00 PM in Hartford because there were some issues in Hartford with the voting lists being delivered on time. You could not vote at some locations for between 30-90 minutes because the voter lists were not available. Foley is going to court to fight it. There were some issues in suburban towns, too.
Maria, there was a ballot shortage four years ago that arguably turned away a few hundred voters in disgust, but polls stayed open later to accommodate.
Lennie I get that, however the machine counts taken throughout the day in 2010 would be significantly lower than the machine counts throughout the day today. Is that correct?
The ballot shortage did not become a problem in some precincts until about the midway point in voting four years ago so it’s representative to compare this year with four years ago at the midpoint of voting. It’s trending modestly ahead from four years ago. But whether this continues depends on the prime time rush hour voting.
Got it.
There were four or five polling places in Hartford that did not have printed voting lists when polls opened at 6:00 AM. Some kind of computer problem. They didn’t get them until 7:00 or 7:30. They are trying to enact the Santa Clause for keeping polls open later.
There is a ballot question concerning the City of Bridgeport Charter change. Sorry, I can’t remember specifics. Seeing it on the ballot was the first I had heard of it. Anyone have any info they can share regarding this? I voted No because I had no idea what it was.
flubadub, it is not an approval of a City Charter change, however I was concerned when I saw it also. I voted no and then I sent an email to over 100 contacts informing them of the second ballot question and recommended people vote no on it. No one I spoke with knew a single thing about it.
It is a State Constitutional issue.
www .sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/misc/explanatory_text_for_constitutional_amendment_sots_8_20_14.pdf
By state statute, this question is required to be on the ballot every five years. Long story short, it simply asks the voters to accept state development money for local projects.
So instead of abstaining from voting on something they know nothing about, people will vote no without any facts???
Sure–poor job done in explaining some of these ballot questions.
So if no one understands it, but all vote no on the question (in theory), we will not accept state funds for projects in BPT? I’m with just the facts, probably one of those that wins anyway. But if it didn’t, just saying. Imagine if we did not accept state funds.
Lifelong Bpt, don’t you think it was incumbent upon the Mayor and City Council to explain the ballot question to voters? I don’t know of a single person who knew what the question was referring to. I know I was concerned Mayor Finch and his minions were trying to pull a fast one and abstaining would not prevent the ballot question from passing if it was an attempt to pull a fast one. You need to vote no to offset a yes.
Up On Bridgeport, flubadub is discussing the second ballot question specific to Bridgeport, not the first question on the constitutional amendment.
flub is a correct about the second question, it was asked five years ago, It makes about the same sense as voting for Registrar when they win anyway.
I voted No on both questions.
As of 5:01 pm, 1130 people voted at Black Rock. Voter 1130 saw David Walker.
After work vote coming out now. Steady stream of cars showing up at Central.
At Cesar Batalla School at 3:35pm the vote count was 457. I’m glad to hear Joe Ganim is out there giving support and fueling the idea he might run for mayor.
I voted NO on the second ballot question and I voted for one Republican, Linda Grace.
Quick question on getting a total from the voting machines. Had a very unpleasant encounter at Beardsley school when I asked to see machine totals. I understand the registrar banned campaign workers from coming into polling sites to minimize disruptions but how about a private citizen asking for the totals? I was told in no uncertain terms the workers were told not to give out info. Anyone else given a hard time when inquiring about the machine count? By the way the rude worker said she was Sandy Ayala’s granddaughter. What a classy bunch.
yellowdog dem, on some machines the counter is right in front on the machine.
I guess some of the candidates were confident enough where they didn’t need any representation at some of their polling places.
My wife and I were 1734 and 1735 at Central at 7:20. That’s for both.
Moore by 1900 votes at 9:28pm.