January 25, 2022

Dear Town Council,

I'm the Advocacy Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut.  I'm writing to express our concern that you may approve the proposal to reduce the number of polling places in town from 8 to 3 without careful study.

The LWVCT is a nonpartisan voting rights organization.  We want Connecticut’s citizens to be engaged voters. We work to increase the percentage of eligible registered voters actually voting by ensuring:

• Every eligible citizen is registered to vote

• Every registered citizen is educated on the issues

• Every educated citizen is empowered to vote

In line with these goals, we ask the Newington Town Council to carefully study the proposal to reduce the number of polling places in town from 8 to 3.  We are concerned that it is likely to reduce the number of voters casting ballots.

It is common sense to consider what the effects of a decision will be when proposing a significant change, such as reducing the number of polling places in Newington by approximately 62.5%.  When the town board considers any changes, cost is going to be a factor.  Certainly, several other factors immediately come to mind? 

Transportation: effects on roads, on-site parking capacity, public transportation, residents' convenience,

Service Quality: managing capacity at each site--if more stations are needed within each of the 3 polling places to manage added capacity--might that require nearly as many poll workers as the current set up?

Citizen Notification Costs: Voters will need multiple notices of their new polling locations to ensure they show up at the right place on election day.

For any major changes proposed to the town council, wouldn't these factors be considered?

In this time of turmoil in our democracy, decisions such as reducing the number of polling places in a town from 8 to 3 surely demands a thorough proposal.  The League of Women Voters of Connecticut urges the town council to have such a proposal compiled before considering such a drastic, and potentially undemocratic change.

Sincerely,

Patricia Rossi

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government.