Polls opened at the Miller Memorial Library in Hamden as early voting in Connecticut and six other states began on Monday.
For the first time in a general election, the state of Connecticut is offering early voting for two weeks prior to Election Day. It will go through Nov. 3 at locations all across the state.
Only Alabama and Mississippi are not participating in in-person early voting this year.
Early voting offers citizens a chance to get to the polls in-person and beat the lines of Election Day, which is Nov. 5. Since the start of early voting in 2024 more than 18 million people have already cast their votes, according to CNN.
In a press release last week, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said this policy change is important and will bring out more voters.
“Connecticut is finally joining the rest of the nation by having a system of early voting, and our hope is that the convenience this creates will encourage more people to vote,” Lamont said.
“[The government] gave us the option,” Hamden resident Edward Zorian said. “So I took advantage of the options to vote early.”
When voters arrived at the library, they entered four separate lines in alphabetical order of the first letter of their street name.
Voters then checked in and filled out a paper ballot at tables with privacy folders.
“We’ve never had any issues voting on Election Day,” said Hamden resident Dean Baker, who came to participate in early voting. “But it’s a way of getting through the process and making sure that our votes count.”
A benefit of early voting is to avoid the long lines that can form during Election Day. However, long lines still formed at Miller Memorial Library on Monday.
One voter came to vote on Monday, but left after seeing the length of the lines in hopes the wait will be shorter throughout the next two weeks.
Some voters decided to participate in the early voting process because it fits better into their schedule.
“I have a free moment and I may not be here [later],” Hamden resident Roberta Johnson said. “I’m a flight attendant, and I might be on a trip. So [early voting] is good for me.”
Among those helping out with the election is James Mims, a poll worker who has worked two Hamden elections.
“My first election [I worked at] Jimmy Carter was president and I was living in [the] District of Columbia at the time,” Mims said. “I had a family member who was an elected government official there. I was working for [the] Department of Recreation there.”
Before living in Hamden, Mims resided in Camden County, New Jersey, where he did vote counting for the primaries.
“Voting, to me, is important,” Mims said. “I remember when Black people or people of color, as well as women, weren’t able to vote. So when I was given the opportunity [to help out with the election], I jumped on it.”
Connecticut voter turnout has always been high, and it has continued to increase. The 2016 presidential election had a 76.9% voter turnout. It improved to 79.7% in the 2020 election, according to CT Mirror.
Outside the library, State Representative-Elect Laurie Sweet connected with residents about voting.
“For me, this is just another opportunity to talk to people about the ballot initiative,” Sweet said “If there’s any lingering questions, they have to answer those questions, and just again, to show people that I’m going to be someone who they can access.”
Hamden residents have many resources for voter registration and heavy encouragement from the town, including the Hamden Registrar of Voters and the League of Women Voters of Hamden-North Haven.
“It’s always important,” Baker said. “Everybody should vote regardless of the minority or majority [party]. [It’s] your right and your duty.”
