Politics & Government

Town Clerk: New Canaan Absentee Ballot Demand Rises Tenfold

The New Canaan town clerk will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to accommodate the increased need in Hurricane Sandy's wake.

 

With more than two-thirds of New Canaan still powerless, town officials say they’ve received more than 10 times the typical number of absentee ballot applications since Hurricane Sandy leveled trees and power lines Monday night.

According to New Canaan Town Clerk Claudia Weber, her office has received more than 2,000 applications and 1,400 ballots back—a typical year sees about 200.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“This is huge,” Weber told Patch as her staff addressed questions from residents who emerge daily from their dark homes into the powered downtown area.

With an influx of absentee ballots cast, Weber said she is opening the Town Clerk’s office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to accommodate residents who feel they may not be able to cast a vote on Election Day.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The hours are extended for absentee ballots, not for the Nov. 6 election voting itself, Weber said.

The state’s major utility and the one that serves New Canaan, Connecticut Light and Power, has said that all polling locations will be powered up by Election Day. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi told Patch that both local polling places, Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School, are expected to have power by Election Day.

New Canaan Patch will have more information when it becomes available.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, CL&P says 68 percent of New Canaan is without power. That figure has held since early Tuesday while surrounding towns have seen the number of homes regain power.


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