Procrastinators: If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you can vote in the Nov. 6 election if you can do one of these three things:
—Do it online today, or
—Bring a photo I.D. and proof you’re a town resident to Town Hall today. Town Hall closes at 4:30 p.m., get there earlier and give them time to process your application. It’s possible that there will be a waiting line.
—Show up at the town Registrar’s Office on Election Day itself and present proof that you are who you say you are, and you may need proof you live where you say you live.
To Get an Absentee Ballot
You can also get an absentee ballot for the election, but only if you’re out of town and only up until 12 noon this Saturday, Nov. 3. On that day, the Town Clerk’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon to process absentee ballot requests.
Register in Town Hall
According to this Web page from the Registrars Office on the town government website:
- A prospective voter, when registering to vote in person must bring a driver’s license or some other form of identification (passport, birth certificate, current utility bill, etc.).
Darien Republican Registrar John Visi recommends bringing a valid photo I.D., like a driver’s license (or, for instance, a Costco member’s card with your photo and name on it).
It’s also a good idea to bring proof of your address in town (like a current utility bill), but the Registrars’ Office can check your name and current address on certain databases. If they find it, they can register you without documents showing where you live.
Bring your I.D. documentation to the Registrars of Voters office on the first floor of Darien Town Hall at 2 Renshaw Road in the morning, or to the Town Clerk’s Office after 12:30 p.m.
Between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.: After you go in through the front entrance of the building, turn right. The first door on your right is the Registrars Office.
Between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.: After the Registrars’ Office closes at 12:30 p.m., according to the town government website, citizens may go the Town Clerk’s Office until 4:30 p.m. The Town Clerk’s Office is on the same floor in Darien Town Hall. After you go through the front entrance, turn left and go to the end of the hallway. The office door is on the right.
Register Online by Tonight
Up until 11:59 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 30, you can register online at the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s website. Just go to the home page and click on the link near the top. It looks like this:
Look for this at the top of the home page of the Connecticut Secretary of the State website.
According to the website:
- “To use the online voter registration system you must have a current and valid driver’s license, learner’s permit or non-driver photo identification card issued by the CT Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and a signature on file with DMV.
- “You may use this system to (1) register to vote in Connecticut, (2) change your name and/or address on your current registration record, or (3) enroll in a political party or change party enrollment (changing parties may result in losing rights in all parties for three months).
- “If you move you must re-register to vote in your new town of residence. You can also use this form to change your address if you move within your current town of residence.”
Register on Election Day
You can register on Election Day this way, according to another Web page on the Secretary of the State’s website:
- Election Day Registration permits anyone to register and vote in person on Election Day who meets the eligibility requirements for voting in this state and is not already registered, OR is registered in one town but has moved to another town. By law, a person is eligible to register and vote if he or she is (1) a US citizen, (2) age 18 or older, (3) a bona fide resident of the town in which he or she applies for admission, and (4) has completed confinement and parole if previously convicted of a disfranchising felony.
- Election Day Registration is not available at your polling place, but is available at a designated EDR location in each town [in Darien, that’s Town Hall, at 2 Renshaw Road], beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m. You will register and vote at the designated EDR location in your town. Please plan to arrive early in the day as there may be long lines. You must be registered by 8 p.m. in order to vote. You will need to provide proof of identity and residency.