Are you qualified to vote?

 

Age:

At least 17 years old (must be age 18 by Election Day). If you are 17, and will be 18 by or on November 5, 2014.

Felony Convictions:

Have completed confinement and parole if previously convicted of a felony and is not currently incarcerated or on parole for a felony, you may register and vote in the town where you live.

Citizenship:

Must be United States citizen. Any qualified citizen can register by downloading a form from the Secretary of the State’s website sots.gov and mailing the complete form to your town hall. A citizen can also register to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, at the public library, at a social service agency, or in person at city hall.

Name Change:

When your change your name you should update your voter registration. Be certain to bring with you on Election Day identification with your new name. Acceptable identification at the polling place is a driver’s license, a credit card, a recent utility bill, a student ID. In Connecticut , you do not have to have a picture ID to vote, if you registered to vote using the last four digits of your social security number, or a valid CT driver’s license, verified at the Registrar of Voters Office by the various departments, you have satisfied the photo ID requirement. The registrar’s Office may sometimes ask that you provide them with a picture ID at the polls in order to vote if proper ID was not produced at the time of registration.

Residency (have you moved?):

Must be a resident in a Connecticut town and if you move to a different town, you must fill out a new voter registration. It is also necessary to update your voter registration when you move –even when you move within the city. Some citizens have a “bona fide “residence in more than one town and more than one state. Possible reasons for holding a bona fide residence in more than one city or state include being away at school. Holding a residence in another town to be closer to work, or choosing to spilt your residency between two towns or states, regardless of the number of residences ,a citizen may hold, they can only vote in elections in one town. A citizen holding residence in more than one town or state must choose one location to register and vote.

Change of Political Party:

If you would like to enroll in a political party or change your party affiliation, you must complete a voter registration card. When changing from one party, party privileges do not take effect until after 90 days after the change. Unaffiliated voters enrolling in a party accrue party privileges immediately. Although mist unaffiliated voters view themselves as independent voters, unaffiliated is the proper category for voters who do not wish to affiliate with any political party. You see, in Connecticut, the Independent party is a registered political party.

Martha Hood