Monday marked a historic day in Connecticut with the first chance to vote in a general election early.
Voters came out across the state – the roughly 40,000 people who cast a ballot Monday were more than double the nearly 18,000 who did so during April’s presidential preference primary.
“I couldn’t wait to vote,” Maria Giacco, of West Hartford, said while waiting in line.
Voters approved early voting during a statewide referendum in 2022 and the state legislature came up with rules.
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Early voting periods vary by election and polls will be open for 14 days – through Nov. 3 – for the presidential election.
Local registrars of voters said they were happy to see people take advantage of the chance to vote early.
“We knew that people were going to be interested, we’ve been getting calls all for a month,” Registrar of Voters Beth Kyle (R-West Hartford) said.
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They also said they expect turnout to vary during the 14-day period, with more voters coming out for the first day and on weekends.
Lines continued throughout the day. Officials in New Haven said voters were waiting for roughly 30 minutes even early in the afternoon.
Ezekiel Syphrette said it was still better than what he typically experiences on Election Day.
“Remember the lines?” he asked. “Traffic? It makes it so much more convenient for everybody.”
Each town must have at least one early voting location, with polls open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
They also must extend the hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31. Voters can take advantage of same-day registration during early voting.
Polls will be open during the normal 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. period on Election Day, which is Nov. 5.
