Fairfield Updates and Resources

June 4, 2020
 
Over the course of the pandemic, Zoom meetings and conference calls have replaced our in person meetings, conferences and coffees (tea, mostly Bigelow, or hot milk in my case). Today I participated in a conference call with Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. While many of you may already be aware, I wanted to be certain you had access to information about our August 11th Presidential Primary.
Yes, we do still need to have a Presidential Primary, as three candidates, two Democrats and one Republican, have specifically requested that their names remain on the ballot. In addition, many cities and towns will have primaries for State Representative or State Senate races. Here are the steps that have been or will be taken for the primary election:
  • The Secretary of the State (SOTS), through a professional mail house with experience in other jurisdictions, will be mailing absentee ballot APPLICATIONS to every primary voter. A primary voter is a registered Republican or Democrat, who will receive an application in the mail. If you are an Unaffiliated voter you are in the majority and do not participate in the Primary elections.
  • Primary Voters will have the option to vote either in person or via absentee ballot for the August 11th Primary. The Governor’s Executive Order allows the choice for an absentee ballot due to the pandemic and in the event no vaccine is available by the time of the election.
  • For those who request an absentee ballot, the ballot will either be mailed to you by mail house, or Town Clerk. Some percentage of voters will still receive their ballot directly from the Town. According to the Secretary, use of the mail house will provide a substantial cost savings to the towns, as well as allow for the use of tracking technology that is beyond the capacity of each individual clerk’s office.
  • Specific plans are chosen by local officials, including the Town Clerk and our Registrar of Voters and are required to be submitted to the SOTS’ office for approval
  • Funding for this comes from the federal government and is 100% reimbursable.
  • One of the only fundamental changes about returning ballots is that in addition to being able to mail a ballot to the Town Clerk, residents in towns whose Town or City Halls remain closed will have the option of returning ballots to a secure lock box, the location of which will be determined by each municipality.
  • Information about the Secretary of the State’s plan can be found here.
  • A quick summary of the steps
    • Absentee Ballot Application mailed to you. By the way, you can also download it here
    • You properly complete the application & return to Town Clerk’s office
    • Ballot is mailed to you either by mail house or Town Clerk depending on what your town has decided.
    • You return your ballot either by mail, in person at the Town Clerk’s office or in the designated lock box.

In terms of the November election, the one thing we do know is that the SOTS will again be mailing an Absentee Ballot Application to all eligible voters. At this point, there is no Executive Order or legislation that will allow for the use of the pandemic as an excuse to use an absentee ballot. I fully support a special session to make that change and have advocated for that with my leadership for many weeks.
AAA reopens licensing services at eight retail stores in Connecticut

Another issue that impacts so many of us is license and registration renewal, emissions tests and more. Many people have asked what they should do about expiring licenses.

AAA yesterday announced that they have reopened eight of its retail stores in Connecticut and are now providing Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) licensing services, however customers are required to make appointments in advance in order to provide for social distancing. Previously, these services had been available on a first come, first served basis.

Officials at the DMV stress that deadlines for all licenses that expire between March 10, 2020 and June 30, 2020 have automatically been extended by 180 days, so it is not necessary to renew these credentials until that extension has expired. However, anyone who would like to get their licensed renewed now has the option to get this done at AAA retail stores.

The AAA stores that have reopened include Avon, Cromwell, Enfield, Manchester, Old Saybrook, Southington, Waterford, and West Hartford.

To make an appointment with AAA, visit their website. For more information, read the press release issued yesterday by AAA.
Earlier this week, the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development issued an updated list of CT Based suppliers for PPE. Please share this resource page with small business owners you know who need to meet stocking requirements on cleaning supplies, PPE equipment, plexiglass barrier materials and more in order to reopen.
 

Previous Updates:

June 3
June 2
May 29
May 28
May 27
May 26
May 21
May 20
May 19
May 18
May 15
May 14
May 11
May 7
May 5
May 4
May 1
April 30
April 29
April 27

April 23
April 22
April 20
April 17
April 15
April 14
April 13
April 8
April 6
April 5
April 4
April 2
April 1
March 31
March 26
March 23
March 21
March 20
March 17

March 16