Newtown residents have clearly responded to the invitation to vote this Election Day. As of 12:55 pm, the Office of the Registrar of Voters had recorded 3,935 votes cast today.

Polls opened at 6 am at Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen Street, for residents of District 1-6 and 1-7; Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road, for District 2-6 residents; and Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane, for District 3-6 residents.

Before any of those locations opened, however, thousands of people took advantage of absentee voting and the new option of early voting.

The Office of the Registrar of Voters reported the receipt of 1,304 absentee ballots and another 8,800 through early voting. As a result, 70.19% — or 14,039 of Newtown's eligible 20,001 voters — had already voted by midway through Election Day 2024.

Statewide, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas reported 741,895 voters — or nearly 30% of the state’s registered voters — submitted a ballot early.

After the first week of the new early voting option, which ran October 21-November 3, over 300,000 Connecticut voters cast ballots.

Despite the fact Newtown registered 43.99% of its registered voters opting for early voting, that figure still did not put the town in the state’s top ten for turnout.

When looking at the turnout by percentage, Burlington was tops, with 49.8% of its registered voters choosing early voting this election season.

Rounding out the top ten were Lyme (49.65%), Madison (48.13%), Sharon (48.06%), Salisbury (47.66%), Clinton (46.72%), Old Lyme (44.6%), Woodbridge (44.49%), Tolland (44.47%), and Chester (44.03%).

Ballot Questions

In addition to the office of President, US Senator, Congressional Representative, State Senator, State Representative, and Registrar of Voters, local voters today are being asked to respond to two ballot questions.

The first concerns the state Constitution and whether it should be amended to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

Under the current state Constitution, qualified voters may cast an absentee ballot only if they are unable to vote in person at their polling place on election date due to absence from their city or town, sickness or physical disability, or their religious beliefs prohibiting a secular activity that day.

If the amendment is approved, the state Constitution would eliminate the above and expand the state legislature’s authority to pass laws regarding voting by qualified voters who will not appear at their polling place on election day.

The second ballot question asks Newtown residents whether the Legislative Council vote “to sell or otherwise dispose of Town-owned property at 3 Main Street be approved?”

The Town Charter requires that whenever the Legislative Council votes to sell any Town-owned property valued at more than $1.5 million, that vote must be approved by referendum.

The property at 3 Main Street includes the building that formerly housed Newtown Emergency Communications Center (“dispatch”), Newtown Parks & Recreation and Newtown Police Department.

Newtown Parks & Rec moved into the newly constructed building at 8 Simpson Street in 2019.

Newtown PD relocated to 191 South Main Street in November 2020. The NECC completed its transition to 191 South Main Street the following March.

The building at 3 Main Street has been vacant since that time.

The property is appraised at $1,670,000.

If the question is approved, the First Selectman will be authorized to take steps to carry out a specific sale of the property, subject to the requirements of Section 8-10(f) of the Town Charter.

As outlined by the Charter, any private contract of sale must be approved by the Board of Selectmen and at least eight members — a two-thirds majority — of the Legislative Council.

Final use of the property will be in accordance with the Town’s existing zoning and land use processes.

Polls across the country will remain open until 8 pm.

Readers who may need to double-check where they should go to vote today or have other concerns ahead of heading to the polls are invited to visit today's online calendar listing for Presidential, State & Municipal Elections, which includes the street and map of voting districts, links to our candidate profiles, and other details.

The Newtown Bee will have results available soon after they are officially released.

Snack Stations

Students and scouts are selling snacks at all three polling locations today.

Voters heading to Newtown High School have three options. Scouts are selling cookies from the 2024 Girl Scout Cookie Sales offerings. Members of Troop 50763, comprised of Cadets and Juniors, were at 12 Berkshire Road for the midday shift.

Scouts will be at all three polling locations until polls close tonight, according to one Scout leader.

Cookie sales have been brisk, according to co-leader Debbie Rickey, but there was nothing surprising about the most popular cookie for at least one location.

Troop 50763 Co-Leader Shannon Bowen said Samoas and Thin Mints are the best-sellers “all day every day.”

Nearby, members of the Newtown High School UNICEF Club chapter have their own table set up. There, voters can purchase homemade baked goods, candies and/or popcorn.

The club does a few fundraisers annually, including an Election Day bake sale, one member said.

The UNICEF Club plans to be at the high school until 4 pm.

On the corner of the same sidewalk, members of the NHS Cap Club are also fundraising today. Members of that group are selling brownies, blondies, muffins and cookies until 3 pm.

The funds raised through those sales will be used to create a gift basket, which will then be raffled. Funds from that effort will then help a fellow NHS student with college prep fees.

At Reed Intermediate School, members of Cub Scout Pack 270 and Girl Scout Troop 50050 are set up next to each other.

The Girls are also offering Girl Scout Cookies, and the Cub Scouts are presenting their annual Popcorn Fundraiser.

At nearby Newtown Middle School, Girl Scouts have two tables set up, one on each corner of the building where voting is taking place.

North of that entrance, members of BSA Troop 770 is also offering its Popcorn Fundraiser and taking orders for that Troop’s annual Wreath Sale. BSA Troop 770 is also planning to remain at the school until 8 pm.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.