[Update] Election 2013 Has Low Voter Turnout

Update, 4:53 p.m.

As of 3 p.m., 2,417 people have voted, or 20.2 percent of registered voters.

By comparison, in 2011, the year of the October snowstorm power, 26.5 percent of 12,001 registered voters cast a ballot. In 2009, the year of a recount, 36.9 percent of 11,962 registered voters voted. 

Update, Nov. 5, 3:09 p.m.

Voter turnout has been fairly steady at Avon High School and Roaring Brook School and slow at the Avon Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 fire station on Election Day, the Registrar of Voters Office reports.

Overall voter turnout at noon was low at 13.32 percent, as is expected of an election without a presidential race on the ballot, according to Laura Hunt, Republican Registrar of Voters.

“It’s what they expected, it’s not real lively,” Hunt said. 

This election is a landmark year for Connecticut, which is allowing same day voter registration for the first time. Ten people have come into the Registrars of Voters Office to vote so far.

While there is always the risk of not knowing if out-of-state voters have voted in another state, Hunt said they are verifying with other registrars that new voters haven't voted in their former Connecticut town of residence. 

“I think it’s a lot safer because we can double check that people aren’t doing fraud," she said. 

She said that it's been going "pretty well" so far and that it adds convenience and allows more people to be registered to vote. 

Of the 11,942 registered voters, only 1,591 have voted, including 719 in District 1 (Avon High School, 14.5 percent), 383 in District 2 (the fire house, 11.68 percent) and 489 in District 4 (Roaring Brook School, 13 percent). There are about 3,330 registered Democrats, 3,903 registered Republicans, 4,663 unaffiliated voters and 42 voters supporting other parties.  

She noted that many people in voting District 2 have come to Town Hall by mistake to vote instead of at their new polling place at the Company 1 fire station. The registrars are redirecting them to the correct location, but Hunt said that could account for part of the reason voter turnout is low in that location.

However, the buzz of the election has seemingly been more vocal in both the Republican and Democratic parties. 

Democratic Town Committee Chairman and Zoning Board of Appeals Candidate Daryl Worobow previously told Patch that the Democratic campaign is focusing on getting more Democrats on the Board of Finance. 

Both parties have gotten criticism from their opponents for the campaign fliers they sent out, according to the Hartford Courant. 

The polls close at 8 p.m.

Original Story

Come Nov. 5, registered Avon voters will go to the polls to vote for the municipal candidates they want representing them on various town boards starting in 2014.

All five Town Council seats are up for grabs, as well as five of the seven Board of Finance slots and four of the nine Board of Education posts. 

Meet the Candidates

Click on the link provided to see a list of the candidates on the ballot.  You can read more about the candidates on the Avon Democrats' and Republican Town Committee's blogs. Letters of endorsement are also available in the You've Got My Vote open blog.

To view the ballot, click on the link provided on the town website: ballot.pdf

Polling Places

Voting will run from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the following locations:

Voting District 1: Avon High School gymnasium, 510 West Avon Rd.

Voting District 2: Avon Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 fire station, upper level, 25 Darling Dr.      

Voting District 3: Roaring Brook School gymnasium, 30 Old Wheeler Ln.        

Check back throughout the day for information on voter turnout and voter feedback on the election.