McKinney Takes Branford; Foley Takes State

Although Greenwich native Tom Foley captured the Republican nomination statewide on Tuesday, Branford residents voted decisively in favor of state Sen. John McKinney, the Republican minority leader.

McKinney received 329 of 569 votes on what was a slow day at the seven election districts in town. In November, Foley will face Governor Dannel P. Malloy, in a rematch of the 2010 general election.

McKinney won every Branford district with the exception of the 1st District, where Foley narrowly pulled ahead with 47 votes over McKinney’s 45. In addition, Foley won a majority of the absentee ballots.

In Branford, David M. Walker won the nomination for lieutenant governor, securing 229 votes and succeeding in five of the seven Branford districts. He beat out Penny Bacchiochi and Heather Somers, who had 172 and 166 votes respectively. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, the state results were still being tallied. Branford voters in all seven districts elected Sharon J. McLaughlin over Angel Cadena for comptroller with a 336 – 172 vote difference, mirroring the overall Connecticut results.

The local results didn’t come as a surprise to Branford residents. In May, the Branford Republican Town Committee’s delegates to the state convention unanimously endorsed McKinney. On election morning, several polling district lawns sported seven to eight lawn signs backing McKinney, with no visible support for Foley.

The Branford Eagle stopped by three of the seven districts on Tuesday morning. After opening at 6 a.m., the polling stations were off to a slow start. By the time the polls closed at 8 p.m., about 20 percent of the 2,831 registered Republicans had voted. The number aligns with the estimate of the 20 – 25 percent participation given by the Secretary of State’s office.

This primary falls at a difficult time, as August is a month when many families are out of town on vacation. According to Town Hall, 27 residents had filled out absentee ballots as of the Monday deadline.

It’s Like Watching Paint Dry”

Democrat Registrar of Voters Daniel J. Hally, who helped with the process, also commented on the low voter turnout. ​“It’s like watching paint dry,” he said.

At 10:15 a.m. , there were two cars parked at the Orchard House, the location of the 3rd district polls. 

Inside, five people waited to sign in and help voters. In each of the seven districts, five to seven paid workers manned the desks, with one moderator at each location. After the first hour, the 3rd district hadn’t seen a single voter. At 10:30 a.m., this number had risen to 20.The district has 262 registered Republicans.

“It’s a slow day,” Christine Collins, moderator of the 3rd District, said.

The turnout was similar in the 1st district, which is one of the largest voter districts in Branford. Polling took place at the Community House.

According to Moderator Walter Smith, 30 people had voted as of 10:35 a.m. Tuesday.

“It’s about as expected,” Smith said. ​“It’s typical one party primary in August.”

In the 4th district, another large voting district, the numbers were similar. At 10:45 a.m., 24 of 465 registered Republicans had voted.

Lowell Collingwood, moderator of the 4th district, said ​“with primaries, not that many people care unless something big has happened.” Collingwood has been working on town elections since 1979.

“If you don’t show up to vote, you can’t complain,” he added.

Collingwood explained that there are a number of ways people can vote if they are handicapped in some way.

For instance, he said, there is a specific machine designed for blind and illiterate voters. With the assistance of the moderator, the voter calls in his or her vote by telephone pressing buttons to make choices. The ballot is then printed out and covered with a blank sheet of paper that the moderator then delivers to the normal ballot counting machine.

Counting the votes from all 7 districts took place at the Registrar of Voters office after the polls closed. Here is Marion E. Burkard, the Republican Registrar of Voters working with Collingwood. 

The general election will be held on Nov. 4.

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