by Susannah Wood

In Norfolk, 261 ballots were submitted for the Aug. 11 primary. Of those, 138 were absentee. Five absentee ballots had to be rejected because the voters failed to sign the inner envelope. Democratic turnout was 46 percent, with 126 people voting absentee and 84 showing up in person. Former Vice-President Biden received 191 votes, Senator Sanders 16, and three chose Uncommitted. Republican turnout was 19.7 percent. Of the 46 votes, 16 were cast absentee, 30 in person. President Trump garnered 34 votes while seven people voted for Rocky De La Fuente and five were Uncommitted. 

The final tally of votes occurred on Thursday, Aug. 13, the last day that absentee ballots arriving at Town Hall could be counted. By executive order, Governor Lamont allowed ballots postmarked by Aug. 11 to still be eligible, due to delays in delivering ballots to voters. For the presidential election, the state has ordered ballots to be sent out by town clerks rather than by the mailing house in hopes it will speed up delivery

Actual in-person voting at Town Hall went fairly smoothly, according to the registrars, as people kept their distance and wore their masks. The work of running the election was not so easy. Danese Perron, the Democratic registrar and also Norfolk’s only certified election moderator, cannot carry out both duties during an election. After two substitute moderators backed out at the last minute, one due to a Covid-19 quarantine, Perron had to scramble to get a substitute moderator from elsewhere in the state. Kevin O’Connor, who for years had served as moderator, was brought out of retirement to fill in until the replacement arrived later in the day. Republican registrar Phylis Bernard reported that the substitute moderator did not have adequate computer skills and also left early before all the paperwork was filled out. The consensus at Town Hall is that we urgently need local citizens to train as moderators. Poll worker Walter Godlewski said he felt pretty good about the way things went but underscored the need for additional volunteers from both parties to check off names of voters, to monitor the check-in process, to count absentee ballots, to monitor the tabulator machine, to sanitize voting stations and pens, and to answer questions. Election Day is 14 hours long. A deep team of volunteers would allow people to work in shifts and might also avoid a last-minute scramble for replacements.

The moderator is essentially chief of operations and trouble shooter, making sure that all proper procedures are followed, that the tabulator machine works and that every legitimate vote is properly counted. The moderator is to be present from before the opening of the polls until the very last vote has been tabulated and all paperwork completed. The job calls for computer literacy, problem solving and a talent for details. The next moderator training in Torrington is on Sept. 14. It takes about two hours. Please volunteer for this essential job if you can. Both the registrars can help you sign up and fill out the forms for the training. Call their office at Town Hall, 860-542-5134 or email them at repubregistrar@norfolkct.org; demregistrar@norfolkct.org.

In special session this July, the Connecticut assembly passed a law to allow Covid-19 as a reason for voting by absentee ballot in the Nov. 3 presidential election. Although the secretary of state’s office will begin sending out applications to all registered voters sometime after Sept. 8, Town Clerk Linda Perkins urges anyone who plans to vote absentee to pick up an application as soon as possible from the porch at Town Hall, fill it out and put it in an envelope marked “Election” and deposit it in the large drop box in the parking lot. (You can also print up an application by going to the town website or the secretary of state’s.) This will allow Perkins time to assemble several pieces of the ballots ahead of time so that she can send them out on the earliest day she can, Monday, Oct. 5, three weeks before Election Day. She strongly suggests that people deposit their completed ballots in the ballot drop box rather than posting them, due to expected delays in delivery of a week or more.

If you or a family member will be overseas on Nov. 3, there are special provisions for securing the right absentee ballot. Contact Linda Perkins at townclerk@norfolkct.org for information about this or any other voting questions.

Residents newly arrived from other states who wish to vote absentee are also advised to register and apply as soon as possible and to make sure they cancel their previous voter registrations. Election Day voter registration is possible.

Don’t forget to sign and date the inner envelope of your ballot once it is sealed, with the same signature you used on the application. This is how the town clerk can verify that you have the right to vote while keeping the vote itself private. (Once the counters open the inner envelope, the folded ballots are shuffled so that no one knows whose vote is whose.) Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Electiion Day.

Voters will now be able to confirm their registration, check when the town clerk issues ballots and check if the ballot has been received by the town clerk by going to myvote.ct.gov/lookup.

Phylis Bernard is not running again for another four-year term as the Republican registrar of voters. If you would like to run or know of someone who is interested, it is not too late to enter as a write-in candidate. Go to:  https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/Misc/ED-622a-Write-In-Application.pdf . You have until Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.