Paul Bass photo
City/Town Clerk Michael Smart helping a voter during the August primary.
The city/town clerk’s office has launched a new hotline for local voters who have questions about their absentee ballots, as the official number of New Haven absentee ballot applications processed rose to 12,822 and the number of absentee ballots returned to 4,261.
In an email and text message city alert sent out Sunday night in advance of Nov. 3’s general election, City/Town Clerk Michael Smart said that his office has started a new, dedicated hotline at 203 – 946-6400 for anyone who has had an issue receiving an absentee ballot to call and leave a message at.
“We apologize for any discrepancies with the State reporting system and urge you not to worry: my team is working diligently to ensure everyone gets their absentee ballot,” he wrote. “Once you receive your ballot, feel free to drop it off at one of the ballot drop-boxes at 200 Orange Street.”
Smart also said in that message that his office has processed over 14,000 absentee ballot requests so far.
The latest tri-weekly official absentee ballot update sent out by the Secretary of the State’s office, meanwhile, shows that New Haven’s local tally is quickly catching up with that of the state’s Centralized Voter Registration system.
According to the town-by-town spreadsheet sent out by the state Friday night, New Haven has processed a total of 12,822 absentee ballot applications. That includes 9,706 for registered Democrats, 429 for registered Republicans, 2,539 for registered unaffiliated voters, and 148 for voters registered with other political parties.
That state spreadsheet also shows that New Haven has received a total of 4,261 filled out and returned absentee ballots. That includes 3,423 from registered Democrats, 133 from registered Republicans, 656 from registered unaffiliated voters, and 49 from voters registered with other parties.
And Monday morning’s weekly personnel report from the city’s Department of Human Resources shows that the city/town clerk’s office recently hired another five seasonal election workers.
Click here to download that latest state spreadsheet, and see below for Smart’s Sunday evening message.
Hi, this is City-Town Clerk, Michael Smart. My office handles absentee ballots for all New Haven elections. Have you made a plan to vote for the November 3rd Presidential Election? If you already voted by absentee ballot, thank you for doing your civic duty. With all that’s going on with the pandemic, it’s critical that we all have access to vote and make a plan to vote.
If you plan to vote in-person at your local polling location, please note the Registrars of Voters has been implementing many safety measures, so we are in compliance with COVID-19 protocols to keep voters safe. Polling places will be open from 6AM to 8PM if you would like to vote in person. Be sure to watch your distance when you are in line, wash your hands as much as possible, and wear your mask to ensure the safety of you, our poll workers, and others. Please visit the Secretary of State’s website to find your local polling place and check your registration status. The deadline for new registration is October 27th the Registrar’s office will have office hours for those who would like to register in person.
If you are still waiting on your absentee ballot, please be patient. The City-Town Clerk has processed over 14,000 absentee ballot requests. We apologize for any discrepancies with the State reporting system and urge you not to worry: my team is working diligently to ensure everyone gets their absentee ballot. Once you receive your ballot, feel free to drop it off at one of the ballot drop-boxes at 200 Orange Street. If you have an issue receiving your ballot, today the we launched a hotline that you can call and leave a message about your issue. Someone will then call you back. Please call (203) 946‑6400.
This year we will be voting for President, Congress, the State Delegation, and Registrar of Voters. There is also a referendum question on the ballot, so don’t forget to fill out the bubble! If you need a copy of the sample ballot, you can visit the Secretary of State’s website.
Stay safe, New Haven. Onward to November 3rd!
The degree of confusion around the absentee ballots is sad to see.
Directing people to track their requests seems to be one more hoop to jump through.<br /> I'm hoping early voting and voting by mail become the norm for all elections, but the process definitely needs to reviewed and improved.Why is the response to the confusion to have a machine take a message? Where are the extra staffers that were hired? Why is a real human not available????
It took about a month to get my absentee ballot and there were no glitches as far as the addresses. But I did find the instructions confusing. Whoever designed this set up should consult a graphic designer in the future. It was only as I was ready to drop off the ballot that I realized I had to write in my name and address on the outside envelope.