Connecticut voters at the polls amid strong turnout; abortion and other rights, inflation on their minds

Connecticut voters flocked to the polls Tuesday, as towns and cities across the state reported strengthening participation in the final hours of balloting, with voter turnout expected to exceed the 65% of the previous, hard-fought gubernatorial election in 2018.

As of 2:30 p.m., 35% of Connecticut voters had visited the polls, based on a survey by the Secretary of the State’s Office with 113 of 169 towns and cities reporting.

“We are getting a phenomenal turnout. It’s been non-stop,” Enfield Moderator Ruth Stalgaitis said. “All of our booths are set up and all of them are occupied by people. We’ve had to change out pens, because of the number of voters coming through.”

In nearby Ellington, Mark Maynard, moderator at the high school polling place said, “We had about 75 people waiting in line at 5:45 this morning. It’s been constant right through. There have been one or two lulls, but then the parking lot fills up again.”

Tuesday’s election was a rematch between the Democratic incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski. Lamont and Stefanowski opposed each other for the open governor’s seat four years ago.

In a high-stakes battle, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is facing Greenwich Republican fundraiser Leora Levy in a partisan race with national implications to control the U.S. Senate that is currently split at 50-50.

One of the hottest races of the year pits U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes against former two-term state Sen. George Logan of Meriden in a race widely described as a “toss up’' that will be decided by turnout.

The election follows a grueling campaign that in recent weeks bombarded television viewers with 30-second advertisements of attack and counterattacks.

As of Tuesday morning, 141,982 absentee ballots had been returned to the Secretary of the State’s office. In 2018, the last gubernatorial election year, about 88,000 absentee ballots were returned.

Turnout among the 2.2 million active voters was expected to exceed the 65% mark of four years ago, when Lamont won an open race for governor over Stefanowski and Democrats regained solid control of the General Assembly.

Voter Skepticism, Anxiety

Voters outside polling places said they turned out for the elections drawn by a wide range of issues including voting rights, abortion and inflation, some simply believing it was their civil responsibility to cast their ballot.

“Voting is very important to me, and I am very committed to voting in every election,” said Taryn Perry, after making her choices at the South End Senior Wellness Center in Hartford about 90 minutes after the polling place opened.

Perry, a Democrat, said abortion and voting rights are big issues for her in this election.

“Yeah, I’m concerned about the inflation, but the reality of the situation is everything is going up all over the world,” Perry said. “There is only so much control a political office can have over basic economics. You can say that you are going to change it. Prices are going to go down and be better, but really, how are you going to do that?”

In the Hartford’s West End, voters like Della Leon said it was time for a change in parties controlling state and national offices on the ballot Tuesday.

“This inflation is out of control,” Leon, an unaffiliated voter, said, outside the polling place at the United Methodist Church. “They tell us everything is ok when it’s not. Everything coming out of Biden’s mouth. He says we are doing great. No we’re not. I don’t see that when I go to the store.”

Twenty miles northeast in Tolland, Joanne Butler said she voted the Republican ticket, frustrated, too, by rising prices at the grocery store, at the gas pump and for home heating oil. Butler said she hoped the election would bring new faces into political office.

“A lot of the incumbents haven’t done a good job,” Butler said.

Arthur and Susan Schultz, voting at the Tolland Recreation Center, said what was needed are more term limits for those holding a broader range of elected office. “We have too many candidates in their 70s and 80s. I think we need some younger people in office.”

Some voters were skeptical that Tuesday’s election would bring about any meaningful, positive change in Connecticut.

“In Connecticut, no,” Tolland resident Robert Elliott said. “They vote Democrat here. The rest of the country — yes, things might change.”

To the southwest in Wethersfield, Amy and Jeffrey Fletcher said they had mixed feelings as they headed to cast their ballots at the Samuel B. Webb Elementary School.

Did they feel hopeful about the election?

“I don’t know about hopeful,” Amy Fletcher said. “Anxious. Hopefully we will have a good outcome.”

In Somers, Jannine Healis had a very specific purpose for her vote.

“I came out today to vote for women’s rights, as well as for other groups whose rights are being infringed upon,” she said. “I also came out to vote to try to help motivate others who may not think that their vote counts.”

She added that she is hoping that people voting in this election vote for what’s right and not just stick to political parties.

“I hope that people understand what’s at stake,” she said. “Vote with your parents, kids, and friends in mind.”

Election Day hotline calls

As of noon Tuesday, the State Elections Enforcement Commission said it had received 81 calls to its election day hotline, compared with 155 for the same timeframe in the 2018 gubernatorial contest. Most of the calls were routine, said staff attorney Joshua Foley, but one did involved a malfunctioning tabulator in Enfield.

Stalgaitis said that there was an issue with a tabulator at Enfield’s Henry Barnard School, but it was quickly resolved.

“It was an issue with the first tabulator getting jammed and not working,” she said. “The line was starting to back up as we were setting up the second tabulator. We gave the voters the option to wait, which of course would take some time. If they were busy and had to get to work, they could put it in the auxiliary bin and we would run it through at the end of the night, so every vote was counted.”

Both Stalgaitis and Maynard said some residents arrived but were not registered to vote. But they were sent to the town halls in their respective towns for same-day registration.

Courant Staff Writers Christopher Keating, Steve Smith, Helen Bennett, Melanie Savage, Mike Mavredakis, Deidre Montague and Erin Quinlan contributed to this story. A report from CTMirror was included.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.