Primary Election Has Impact In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut's primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 and it features a flair that affects West Hartford. Mary Fay and Jim Griffin are squaring off on the Republican side in the race for the for the 2nd District U.S. House of Representatives seat and Sherry Haller and Kate Farrar are contesting a spot for the 20th District state House seat on the Democratic side.

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.

On the Republican side of the U.S. House race, Fay is a West Hartford Town Council member. Fay's Facebook campaign profile describes her as "the fiercely independent endorsed Republican candidate for Connecticut's 1st Congressional seat." She is "a pragmatic problem-solver, focused on rebuilding the economy, education, and public safety," according to her profile.

Griffin, of Bristol, lists education, health care, justice reform and manufacturing as his top priorities. Se his campaign profile here.

The winner goes up against veteran Democratic incumbent John Larson.

On the Democratic side of the 20th District state House race, Farrar's campaign slogan bills her as "a progressive champion for our future." She hails from West Hartford . See more on her Facebook page.

Haller, also from West Hartford, lists her priorities as, "supporting public safety, creating new strategies to help small businesses thrive, meeting the needs of older residents and providing our young people with the opportunities to be successful in the educational and career paths they choose." See her Facebook page here.

Click here for local voting information from the West Hartford registrars of voters.

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.