Primary day is here: A look at what you need to know

Though likely a foregone conclusion, Connecticut voters get their say on their party’s nominee for president in the 2024 election that ends Tuesday. The April 2 primary is the first election to allow early voting, which took place for four days last week, and officials have already wrapped up that portion of the election. But the majority of voters will cast ballots today. Former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden are presumed to be their party’s nominees, there is a movement in Connecticut and across the country to protest Biden’s policies by voting uncommitted.

Who’s on the ballot?

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas announced the candidates on the Connecticut ballot for the 2024 presidential primary in January. Though some states have claimed that former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from the primary and November election under the anti-insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, Thomas said the secretary of the state does not have such authority. Instead, she said, Connecticut General Statutes requires she recognize for inclusion on the ballot the “candidacy of such person for such party’s nomination for President is generally and seriously advocated or recognized by reports in the national or state news media.”

Democratic candidates on the ballot, in alphabetical order, include: Joe Biden, Dean Phillips, Cenk Uygur and Marianne Williamson. Republican candidates include Ryan Binkley, Ron Desantis, Nikki Haley and Donald Trump.

Am I eligible to vote?

United State citizens who will be 18 years old by Election Day are eligible to vote. Those who have been convicted of a felony are eligible to vote once they have finished their confinement. Those who have moved must update their address to be eligible to vote at the polling place near their home. College students can either request an absentee ballot from their home town or register to vote where they attend school.

To vote in the April 2 primary, voters must be registered with a political party. Voters can enroll in a political party at their town hall or online at voterregistration.ct.gov/olvr/ welcome.do.

How do I register to vote?

Residents can look up their voting status at portaldir.ct.gov/sots/ Lookup.aspx.

Those eligible to vote can do so online on the Secretary of the State’s website, https://voterregistration.ct.gov/olvr/ welcome.do. Paper applications to be printed and returned either in person or by mail are available at portal.ct.gov/ Sots/election-services/register-to-vote/ Voter-registration-application-english-and-spanish.

Residents can also register in person at their town hall with the registrar of voters.

Where do I vote?

Find your polling place at all.votinginfotool.org.

What is the absentee ballot process?

Absentee ballots, for those who have been approved to vote that way, can be mailed back to the town clerk, returned in person to the town clerk’s office or dropped in the official absentee ballot drop boxes provided by the Secretary of the State. Most are located outside of town hall. The ballots must be returned by the close of voting, at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

How does early voting work?

Early voting, approved last year, allows for in-person voting on four days ahead of an election. The early voting dates for Connecticut’s presidential primary were scheduled around Good Friday and Easter Sunday and were March 26, 27, 28 and 30. While voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot only for allowable reasons, early voting is open to all voters. To vote early, voters went to their early voting location and checked in as they would on Election Day. A poll worker provided the ballot, with an envelope, to be filled out in a privacy booth. Voters placed the ballot in the envelope, sealed it and placed it in the designated receptacle. Ballots are secured unopened until they are counted on Election Day.

For more information, visit the Secretary of the State’s website.