The Hamden Registrar of Voters and the League of Women Voters of Hamden-North Haven hosted a coffee hour event on Oct. 19 at the Miller Memorial Library.
The one-hour discussion led by both organizations answered questions and concerns Hamden residents had regarding voting in the upcoming presidential election. This included discussions of early voting, absentee ballots, the accuracy of voting information, voter intimidation and efforts to increase youth voter participation.
“I think in-person events are really good ways to hear things that you’ve never heard before,” said Judy Lhamon, a 40-year Hamden resident.
“I just heard a whole lot of things here today that I haven’t heard before, some of which I found very impressive and some of which I found disturbing.”
The panel consisted of Lushonda [Shon] Howard, Hamden’s Democratic Registrar of Voters, Mary Ann [Mickey] Flanagan, deputy registrar representative for Democrats; Anthony [Tony] Esposito, Hamden Republican Registrar of Voters; Laura Santino, deputy registrar representative for Republicans and several members of the League of Women Voters of Hamden-North Haven.
The goal of the event was voter safety. Additionally, the topic of voter fraud sparked conversation.
Out of 1,628 U.S. adults, 58% of voters feel very concerned that there will be voter fraud this [2024] election, in contrast, 42% of voters do not feel concerned that there will be voter fraud this [2024] election, according to a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
The Hamden Registrar of Voters are state-elected officials who administer election laws regarding voter registration and elections. Committee members serve a four-year term.
“I think it’s great to have elected officials [at] the local level meeting citizens because of that fact that so few of us have access to adequate information about how things actually work,” said Vee Cangiano, a Hamden resident and the State Coordinator of Braver Angels Connecticut. “At least these elected officials who [play] their role to follow the laws in administering elections have given us a chance to learn more about it and clarify misperceptions that we might have about election processes.”
The Hamden Registrar of Voters emphasized how the town is enforcing certain safety measures, including having cameras on all ballot boxes and working with the Hamden Police Department and superintendent of schools – since most voting locations will be at schools – to come up with a plan to keep the town safe.
Both organizations recognized the need for college students to vote, since they don’t see many.
“We just really believe that protecting our democracy is critical and that means [it requires] involvement,” said Diane Hoffman, a 72-year-old Hamden resident and a member of the League of Women Voters of Hamden-North Haven.
Hoffman got involved with the organization in 2010, updating Hamden’s charter after 35 years.
“The League of Women’s Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy,” its website says.
LWV supports voting rights and women’s rights issues, including reproductive freedom, healthcare, advocacy and education. The organization has more than 700 state and local programs. The Hamden-North Haven charter has a steering committee of seven that meets monthly and organizes events. They also have approximately 45 members in this chapter who volunteer to help during these events.
“We’re open to all men and women and all adults,” Hoffman said. “We encourage [everyone] to get involved and we’re always looking for new members. It’s a very active involved group of people and it’s time well spent.”
The panel closed by reminding the audience to bring their identification.
“I think that our registrars of voters did an excellent job of telling us how they work and how important voting is…I am very eager for public institutions like the library, for example, to maintain its presence so that it can provide this kind of information and a comfortable setting,” Lhamon said.
Early voting in Hamden will take place at the library on Oct. 21-28, Oct. 30-Nov. 1-3 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. at the Thornton Wilder Auditorium.