Branford Gears Up for Presidential Primary

Without a doubt, this has been the most colorful Presidential campaign in recent history, punctuated by lively debates and rowdy rallies. According to an article In the New Haven Independent Bernie Sanders may be planning a rally on the New Haven Green Sunday night and Hillary Clinton is scheduled to hold a gun-violence themed event at the YMCA in Hartford in a few hours.

Donald Trump and Clinton won in Tuesday’s New York Primary and a Quinnipiac poll predicts they’ll do the same in Connecticut.

Approximately 7,000 people attended the Trump rally Friday night in Hartford. Ohio Gov. John Kasich was in the state earlier this month. There’s been no mention of an appearance in Connecticut by Ted Cruz.

Connecticut has been on the bottom rung of the Presidential Preference Primary ladder in recent years, but the close delegate count and contentious nature of the Presidential campaign is changing that perception. Tuesday’s primary election has spurred a record increase in voter registrations.

Today (April 21) is the last day for new and unaffiliated voters to enroll online at myvote.ct.gov. Monday (April 25) is the final day to register in-person at Town Hall. Voter registration will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Town Clerk’s office and applicants must bring identification.

Today is also the last day to file Absentee ballot applications.Here is an absentee ballot form. If you are absent from town because of a variety of reasons, you need to download an absentee ballot application or go to Town Hall in person. You can also call the town clerk at: 203 – 315-0678.

There is no registration for the Presidential Primary on primary day.

Voters will elect delegates for either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders on the Democratic ticket or among Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, or Ohio Gov. John Kasich on the Republican ticket.

Statewide 76,600 have registered to vote since Jan. 1, broken down as follows: 36,607 have registered as Democrats; 16,896 as Republicans; and 23,182 as unaffiliated. Half of the new voters registered online and almost half are under the age of 30.

Only registered voters enrolled in the Republican or Democratic Party are eligible to vote in their respective Presidential Preference Primary. For those looking to change affiliation, the Jan. 26 deadline has passed. Of those meeting that deadline statewide, 16,620 unaffiliated voters have become Democrats since January and 9,995 unaffiliated voters switched to Republicans.

Branford’s Voter Numbers

Registration in Branford has been brisk.

Marion Burkhard, the Republican Registrar of Voters, said registering to vote had been ​“very steady. People are thinking about the primary and looking toward Election Day.”

There has been a surge in voter registration in Branford over the past several months.

After the November 2015 local election, there were a total of 17,830 registered voters in Branford. As of Tuesday, April 19, a week before the primary, there were 18,406 for the entire town. 

“This is a presidential election and the numbers typically go up in presidential years. Four years ago we had an incumbent president so we only had a Republican primary. Eight years ago, we had the presidential primary we are having now,” Burkard said.

In November 2015, there were 5,882 registered Democrats and 2,878 registered Republicans in Branford. There were a total of 8,983 Unaffiliated voters. As of April 19, there were 6, 296 Democrats and 3,148 Republicans, up by 414 new Democratic voters and 270 new Republican voters. These numbers are expected to rise before primary day. 

Students Sign up to Vote

New data from the Secretary of the State’s office show 29,286 of new voters who signed up between Jan. 1 and April 13 are between the ages of 18 – 29, while 5,232 are under the age of 18. Connecticut allows teens to register to vote early.

In Branford, 33 high school students signed up to register at Branford High on April 12. These students have to have reached age 17 on or before Election Day, Nov. 8. BHS principal Lee Panagoulias said that about 30 percent of students enrolled at the high school (approximately 315 students, probably in the senior class) will be eligible to vote in the November election. 

Where to Vote Tuesday

First District: Community Center, 45 Church St.
Second District: St. Therese Church, 105 Leetes Island Road
Third District: Orchard House, 421 Shore Drive
Fourth District: Fire Headquarters, 45 N. Main St. (former location Branford Hills School)
Fifth District: Indian Neck School, 12 Melrose Ave.
Sixth District: Mary T. Murphy School, 14 Brushy Plains Road
Seventh District: Walsh Intermediate School, 185 Damascus Road

All seven districts will be open for the presidential primary from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. District 4 Voters will vote at Fire Headquarters this year because Branford Hills School is now closed.

Two of Branford’s public schools where voters will go to vote are on half-day schedules primary day.

“We are doing a lot of signage because of security for the schools,” Burkard said.

They are Walsh Intermediate School in the 7th District and Mary T. Murphy Elementary School in the 6th District. The Registrar of Voters has directed voters to use different parking lots near these schools. Signs will be everywhere to tell you where to go. They will read: ​“Election Day Only Parking.”

No voters will be allowed to use the main entrance to these two schools. Voters at Walsh will use the side entrance, near the entryway to the gym. Voters at Mary Murphy will use an entrance at the back of the school. Additional parking may be found at Patty’s park on Parish Farms Road for Mary Murphy.
 
Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez sent a letter dated April 6 to parents about the election, since Walsh Intermediate School, Mary T. Murphy and Indian Neck School are polling locations. He said since the town is projecting a higher than usual voter turnout, the school calendar will be altered to allow students to have an early-release day on April 26, rather than a full day of classes. ​“The reason for this change is to minimize the time students are in school during voting,” Hernandez wrote. He said the district has coordinated with other town departments to ensure voters only have access to the voting area.

What do Branford residents think?

Despite active social media commentary, they’re not open about their opinions in person. ​“I don’t like him, I don’t like his persona. I don’t like what he stands for,” said Nancy DePaola, of Branford, commenting for WFSB television at the Trump rally.

Leading up to the election, the Eagle talked with a few people on Main Street about their voting preference. Several declined to reveal their choice, and others were visiting from out-of-state.

Nichola said she hadn’t made up her mind yet, but did answer a question about which national issue is the most important. ​“I would think the economy is the most important – if you don’t have a good economy, it’s hard to manage anything else.”

Catherine said she will vote for Trump. ​“I think he’s honest,” she said, adding that the most important issues are healthcare and immigration.

A senior citizen, who declined to give her name, said she will vote for Hillary. ​“She has lots of experience and she has done a lot of good things. She’s shown she has the right outlook.” She said the income gap and unemployment are the most important national issues.

Another individual, a long-time registered Democrat in town, admitted she didn’t know which Democrat to support.

Finally, A Little Levity

Colorful not withstanding, a Donald Trump coloring book has been flying off the shelves at Branford Book and Card on Main Street. According to Sal Esposito more than 300 have been sold and they’ve reordered several times. Roseann Baroncini, the mainstay behind the counter, says people purchase the book spontaneously and they’re mostly middle-aged.

The book, which came out with a run of 25,000 just before Christmas, incorporates Trump into images such as Mount Rushmore, Superman, a DJ, Napoleon, Elvis, Abbey Road, and the million-dollar bill.

Despite the humor in the book and the memes floating around the Internet, voting is a constitutional responsibility and this year, it’s more important than ever.

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