Connecticut Presidential Primary Voter Guide

By William Browning | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 13 mins ago.. .

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Connecticut voters go to polls April 24 to select their Republican nominee for president in the general election. The New York Times' election calendar reports 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention are at stake. A public opinion poll released March 22 by Quinnipiac University reveals front-runner Mitt Romney is ahead of Rick Santorum 42 percent to 19 percent.

Here is a handy voter guide for residents of Connecticut who wish to cast ballots April 24.

Voter Registration

Voters can register up to noon the day before the primary. For this to happen, voters must apply in person with a town clerk in order to be registered for the presidential primary. If an application is mailed in to election officials, it must be postmarked no later than five days before the primary.

If a voter is already registered, that person needed to switch political affiliations three months before the primary. Otherwise, only currently registered Republicans may cast ballots for their candidate in the primary.

Absentee Ballots

Voters may cast absentee ballots for several reasons. Active duty military personnel, absence from town, illness, religious reasons, election officials or physical disabilities are all reasons to submit absentee ballots. In order for absentee votes to be counted, they must be received by the time polls close on primary election day. Absentee ballot applications began three weeks before the primary election which was April 3.

At the Polls

Polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at all locations in Connecticut. Voters can look up polling place locations on the Secretary of State's official database search. The information needed includes the town, first name, last name and date of birth.

First-time voters must present identification at the polls. The most common form of ID is a valid photo ID that shows a current photo, name and address. Other forms of acceptable ID include a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check that shows a current address next to a name.

Voting Machines

Connecticut offers two ways to cast ballots. Optical scan voting machines allow voters to fill in ovals on paper ballots and a machine scans the ballot to cast a vote. Voting by phone is another option by which electors use a numeric keypad on site to register choices. A ballot is printed on site and submitted into the ballot box where it is counted later.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Connecticut Presidential Primary Voter Guide - Yahoo! News