Primary Elections Will Have An Impact In Southington

SOUTHINGTON CT, — Connecticut's primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 and it features a local flair for Southington voters as Jim Townsley of Southington squares off with Donna Veach of Berlin on the Republic side in the race for the 30th District state House seat.

The race heated up after the announcement that incumbent State Rep. Joe Aresimowicz will not be seeking re-election following the current term.

In Connecticut, 2020 this will be the first time every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote via absentee ballot or in-person.

There is still a presidential primary despite the presumptive nominees being President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. For Democratic voters the choices that still remain on the ballot are Biden, Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard.

For Republicans the choices are Trump and Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente.

Locally, Townsley said he committed to "preserving a way a current Berlin Town Councilor, of life centered on individual freedom, financial responsibility, and common sense values. He said he "will fight against the trend of families leaving Connecticut due to high taxes and increasing costs by fighting for reduced spending and fiscal common sense in Hartford."

Townsley is currently serving as pastor of the Central Baptist Church and as chief administrator of the church’s private school and small college. See his Facebook page here.

See Veach's Facebook page here. She is a current member of the Berlin Tow Council and has targeted law enforcement support as a primary campaign issue.

The Secretary of the State's office mailed out absentee ballot applications to all eligible party members. The applications are "prepopulated" with voter information and a unique barcode.

The Secretary of the State's office is using a portion of the federal CARES Act funding to pay return postage for the applications. The applications are processed by local town clerks and entered into a statewide database system. Again the postage will be paid to send the ballots to eligible voters and return postage will also be covered.

A mix-up in processing absentee ballot applications took place and thousands of voters may still be waiting for their ballots.

Any Connecticut resident who is a registered Republican or Democratic Party member had the option to vote in the primary. Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order that allows the pandemic to be a valid reason for voting absentee. The state legislature also passed the same rules for the general election in November.

Helpful links from the Secretary of the State office:

• Check to see if you are registered to vote under a party.
• Where and how do I vote?
• Register to Vote Online.

All ballots must be received by the close of polls on primary day in order to be counted.
Ballots can be returned by mailing them back via the United States Postal Service or via a secure drop box that is being provided to each town outside of town hall.
The deadline to transfer from one party to another or for unaffiliated electors to join a party to vote in the primary has already passed.

The registration cut-off for primary voting is as follows, according to the Secretary of the State office:

Primary: Application must be postmarked by the 5th day before a primary (OR received by your Registrar of Voters or a voter registration agency by the 5th day before a primary). You may apply in person to your town clerk or registrar until 12:00 noon on the last business day before a primary.