Early voting for the Presidential Preference Primary, being offered for the first time in Connecticut this year, begins today.

Registered Democrats will receive ballots listing Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Cenk Uygur, and Joe Biden.

Registered Republicans will receive ballots showing Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald J. Trump, and Ryan Binkley. Former President Trump is the last major Republican Presidential candidate after former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's exit from the race, however.

While voters can, as always, go to the polling place on Election Day to cast a ballot for their chosen candidate, with the passing of early voting, there are more options.

Early voting for registered Newtown residents is available at the Office of the Registrar of Voters, within Newtown Municipal Center at 3 Primrose Street.

Opportunities for the Presidential Preference Primary are available today through Thursday, March 26-28, and Saturday, March 30. The office will be open from 10 am until 6 pm each day.

Residents must be a registered Democrat to vote in the Democratic Primary and a registered Republican to vote in the Republican Primary. Voters will need to show ID upon arrival at the office so their eligibility can be verified.

For the primary, registrars will also check the voter’s party privileges. Once verified, the voter will be given a ballot and an envelope to put the completed ballot in. Voters will be instructed to fill in the ovals of their chosen candidates. Voters may skip any race they do not have a chosen candidate for. Once finished voting, voters will put their ballot in the envelope.

Voters must sign the envelope, which states they have not voted, nor will they vote again for this election. Voters then hand the envelope to the attendant where registrars will mark them off as having voted and check to make sure the voter has signed the envelope.

If the envelope is not signed, the ballot is not counted so this step is for the voter’s protection. Voters will then put the envelope into the receptacle. At the end of each night, the registrars balance the ballots to the list of ballots cast and they are secured until Election Day morning when they will be put through the tabulator and counted. It is very easy and safe.

For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters at registrar.of.voters@newtown-ct.gov or 203-270-4250, or visit newtown-ct.gov/registrar-voters.

Absentee Voting

Many have used absentee ballots for years. Voters can apply for an absentee ballot by mail, email or in person at the Town Clerk’s office, which is also within Newtown Municipal Center. The Office of the Town Clerk is open weekdays from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday.

Once voters receive a ballot, they should fill in the ovals of their chosen candidates.

Voters will then put their ballot into the inner envelope and sign the sealed envelope. Once voters sign the inner envelope, they will put the ballot into the envelope with the return address on it.

If voting at home, voters seal the envelope and can mail it back to the Town Clerk’s office. They may also drop their absentee ballot in a secure ballot box located outside each main entrance of the municipal center. The ballots can also be delivered directly to the Town Clerk’s office when the municipal center is open.

Absentee ballots are occasionally rejected. If the inner envelope is not signed with the ballot inside of the envelope, it must be rejected. If more than one ballot is in the envelope, it will be rejected. If the ballot is not received by the Town Clerk’s office by 8 pm on Election Day, it will be rejected. There are directions in the envelope when voters receive the ballot so voters should read them over if they have any questions.

According to the Office of the Registrar of Voters, 47 absentee ballots have been received as of 8:30 this morning.

The Annual Budget Referendum will be held at the middle school gym from 6 am to 8 pm on Tuesday, April 23. While there is no early voting for the referendum, absentee voting will be available from the Town Clerk’s office once the budget is set.

In-Person Primary

In-person voting for the Presidential Preference Primary will take place in the gym of Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen Street, from 6 am to 8 pm Tuesday, April 2.

Residents will go to their own district and political party within the gym.

“We are hopeful that we will have a good turnout at early voting for this Primary even though it is decided already,” said Democratic Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton. “We know the process works and is secure but would like to be able to judge the timing to help us plan for staffing accordingly. It is also a good chance to see if early voting is a good fit for you, the voter.

“This November is the Presidential Election. Last time we had over 90% turnout and won the Democracy Cup for highest turnout in our size category," Frampton added. “We are hoping to win that cup back this November. We need your help to do this.”