30,000 Take Advantage of Election-Day Registration
Published November 8, 2016 • Updated on November 8, 2016 at 9:05 pm
Almost 30,000 people took advantage of Election-Day registration in Connecticut and NBC News projects Hillary Clinton as the winner in the state.
The last figures the Secretary of the State issued listed the statewide average voter turnout at 50 percent, but that was two hours before polls closed.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said thousands registered and voted onthe same day, but others missed the deadline.
Wallingford 1 hour ago
Hamden 1 hour ago
"Election Day Registration has been a success. Almost 30,000 people have been able to cast a ballot because of this new opportunity for voters. Sadly it would appear some others missed the deadline," Merrill said in a statement. "The law is clear. In order to vote you must be registered by 8 o'clock."
In 2015, 3,114 people have used same-day registration for the whole day. In 2014, 11,002 registered on Election Day.
Merrill said the state legislature set the Election-Day registration procedures.
"I welcome reconsideration of this or any other law that may restrict someone's ability to vote and invite further opportunities to expand the vote, including early voting. The time has come to take the pressure off of a single polling day by re-introducing a constitutional amendment to allow for early voting," Merrill said in a statement.
Waterbury has 21 polling sites and voter turnout was already 50 percent at Kennedy High School as of noon.
Unregistered voters were still able to register on Election Day, but had to be registered and at their polling location by 8 p.m. to cast a vote in this election.
Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the Secretary of the State's Voter Information Election Day hotline at 1-866-733-2463.
The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters are monitoring issues at the polls. Report any concerns to them by calling 860-521-3030.