Press Releases
11/08/2024
November 8th Election Update
(Hartford, CT) – Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas would like to express gratitude toward all of the registrars, the town clerks, the moderators, the poll workers, and her team for all of their hours of extra work, extra training and their service to the voters of Connecticut.
Working in partnership with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), the Connecticut Intelligence Center (CTIC), the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) and many other local, state and federal partners, our election was kept safe and secure. SEEC received over 700 tickets, 300 on election day alone. In fact, they received calls from Chicago after a news outlet there mistakenly shared their number. The few issues experienced in Connecticut were quickly resolved.
“I am proud to share that overall, we had a smooth election in Connecticut even with the addition of a 14-day first ever early voting period,” Secretary Thomas said. “60% of voters wanted early voting. They got it. And it’s been inspiring to see how well received and utilized it’s been.”
This year’s results appeared to come in slowly and can be attributed to several factors including:
• Over 740,000 Early Voting Ballots and over 122,000 Absentee Ballots could not be opened until election day. Those ballots must be fed one-by-one through the tabulator to be counted;
• Limited equipment and long Same Day Registration lines on Tuesday evening also played a roll;
• Registrars must manually input three types of data, and this takes time: election results, voter statistics, and ballot question results.
“Many people do not realize the extensive work that goes into ensuring every vote is accounted for accurately,” said Secretary Thomas. “Our election process is structured to safeguard transparency, accuracy and security. While early voting has been a win for the public it has placed heavy demands on our election workforce.”
The Constitutional Amendment Ballot question easily passed. Secretary Thomas stated, “I served in the legislature at the beginning of this effort, so it is wonderful to see that the end result is greater access for Connecticut’s voters. I hope the legislature will work with us over the next year to study and create a holistic system of voting that works for Connecticut.”
A reminder that November 12th is the last day for close votes or discrepancy result recounts to take place in Connecticut.
With a potential recount in Torrington, results are not finalized. As of today, statewide voter turnout is 74% (1.7M), compared to 2020 turnout of 80% (1.9M).
For results data, go to our Connecticut Secretary of the State Election Management System.
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