How an Election is Run

All election officials take an oath to uphold election laws and to administer the election in a non-partisan manner. Equipment, ballots and supplies are transported to the polls in a locked, sealed transport carrier. At the close of polls the equipment, ballots and supplies are transported back to the registrars’ office in the locked, sealed transport carrier. All seal numbers are recorded by the Moderator and reported to the Registrars of Voters for security.


List of Election Officials

Moderators serve as the chief polling place official. It is the moderator’s job to make the process of voting as smooth as possible for the elector. (§ 9-439)


Assistant Registrars deal with all voters who are not able to go through the normal voting process. They assist the moderator with opening and closing the polls and assist voters with special needs.


Checkers look at each voter’s identification pursuant to state law. (§ 9-20) They locate a voter’s name in the official voter registry list and mark that they have voted.


Ballot Clerks give each voter a ballot and offer a privacy folder. If the voter has spoiled a ballot or wishes to change it, the ballot clerk issues a replacement ballot in exchange for the old ballot.


Tabulator Tenders are in charge of the voting tabulator and for assisting voters while preserving the voters’ right to ballot secrecy.


Demonstrators and Challengers. Demonstrators are available to educate voters on the correct manner in which to cast their ballots and show voters a sample educational video. They also assist the Moderator in crowd control.


Early Voting Hours*

Four days before a Presidential Preference Primary, 10:00am - 6:00pm.

Seven days before a State or Local Primary, 10:00am - 6:00pm, except Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00am - 8:00pm.

Fourteen days before a General Election, 10:00am - 6:00pm, except Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00am - 8:00pm.

*Hours include Saturday and Sunday


Voting Hours

Voting Hours: Polls to be open 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. Electors in line at 8:00 pm will be permitted to vote. (CGS 9-174)


75 Foot Sign

State law prohibits electioneering inside a polling place and within 75 feet of the door to the building where the election is held. A sign is placed at each polling place marking the edge of the 75 foot zone. No one coming to vote or otherwise coming within this zone is allowed to exhibit campaign buttons, stickers, political signs, clothing, or literature. Election officials have the legal power to enforce this rule and to summon the police, if necessary. Disrupting the smooth and orderly conduct of an election is a serious offense. (§ 9-19j)


Offering Assistance to Voters

If a voter asks for assistance in filling out their ballot, two election officials of opposite political parties will help.

HOW VOTES ARE COUNTED:

Tabulator Count. The tabulator counts all the votes on the ballots. If a ballot cannot be read because of an over vote (more votes for a candidate than allowed) or the ovals are not correctly filled in then that ballot is placed in the auxiliary bin. At the end of the day, any ballots that were not read by the tabulator are counted by hand by two election officials.

Write-In Votes. The tabulator counts the total number of votes cast for write-in candidates in each race, but cannot determine which write-in candidates received the votes. The tabulator separates ballots containing a write-in vote from the other ballots and drops them in the Write-In Bin. At the end of the day these ballots are counted by two election officials. Only the votes for registered write-in candidates are counted, along with any write-in votes cast for a candidate whose name is already on the ballot for that office.

Absentee Ballots. Absentee ballots are counted at a central location by a bi-partisan team of election officials. A tabulator is used for all absentee ballots in the same manner as a polling location. A separate tally is made for each precinct.

Provisional Ballots. Provisional ballots are ballots cast by persons who believe they are properly registered to vote but whose name does not appear on the official voter registry list. Ballots are placed in an inner envelope to preserve ballot secrecy and in an outer envelope labeled with the name, address and other information about the voter. The registrars examine each case separately to determine if the voter is, in fact, currently registered to vote in Bristol. If so, the ballot is counted.

Election Day Registration. If you are registered in another town and now reside in Bristol or if you live in Bristol but are not registered, you may go to City Hall on Election Day (between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm) to register and vote. Persons wishing to do so must have a valid I.D. and current proof of Bristol residency (30 days or less).