This article has been updated to include comments from several candidates.

More than half of Newtown's eligible voters - including 238 who registered on Election Day - had cast ballots by lunchtime according to local registrars. And when all was said and done as three local voting centers closed at 8 pm, more than 15,000 local residents had turned out or cast absentee ballots in the 2016 Presidential Election, returning three incumbent state lawmakers, one newcomer, and a former probate judge to office.

The 106th state General Assembly District was the only political contest on local ballots whose outcome rested solely on a majority of Newtown voters. In that race, incumbent GOP State Rep Mitch Bolinsky captured a third term over newcomer Eva Zimmerman 7,169 to 5,302.

Raising his hands with a shout amid supporters who gathered at My Place restaurant, Rep Bolinsky celebrated the unofficial numbers.

"Resounding," he said as he watched the tallies climb in his favor.

Regarding his Democratic challenger, Rep Bolinsky said of Ms Zimmerman, "We had a formidable opponent."

First Selectman Pat Llodra joined her GOP colleagues saying, "We're congratulating Mitch and the wonderful testament to the work he has done." She said Rep Bolinsky "prides himself on constituent service," and his win is "the pay-off."

Pleased with the success, local Republican Town Committee Chairman Jeff Capeci said, "Republicans did well in Newtown, it's a good night. I think the local candidates did very well."

Stepping up onto a chair and addressing the room, Rep Bolinsky said, "I'm not going to over-promise, I would rather over-deliver." With a nod to his constituent service record, the lawmaker encouraged residents with a problem or issue to contact him. "We'll work on it - take care of Newtown."

Rep Bolinsky also reminded supporters, "We have a lot of work to do in this state." He mentioned supporting "doing some rolling back of taxes," and pledged to continue working to attract businesses back to Connecticut.

In a nod to his many supporters, Mr Bolinsky first thanked his family, fellow party members, and others for getting him through the campaign. He singled out local Legislative Council member Ryan Knapp, referring to him as a "master of support and social media."

Zimmerman Concedes

At Democratic headquarters on Church Hill Road, Ms Zimmerman was consoled by supporters who mustered together chanting her name as she stepped to the front of the room addressing the crowd.

"Don't be weirded out if I don't look sad, because I am an organizer. I've always been an organizer at heart," she said. "This to me just shows the will of the people, and if it wasn't here it wasn't here. But I want to say thank you to everyone in this room - my volunteers, my amazing team, each and every one of you gave so much time and effort supporting the cause."

Congratulating Rep Bolinsky on his "successful campaign," Ms Zimmerman said, "Don't be hung up on the numbers. Think about the cause, think about the issues.

"Be motivated that this year was an amazing year with voter turnout," she continued. "Even though it might not have swayed our side - what we believe in here - it just shows that Newtown has been motivated to go out and vote. I have always been a strong supported of voter registration. At the end of the day we have to make sure we get more people involved."

Charter Revision Successful

All Newtown voters were also requested to weigh in on two Charter Revision questions, which both passed by wide margins.

The first amends the Charter to provide the maximum number of members from any one political party permitted to serve on the seven member Board of Education shall not exceed four, versus the current five members from any one political party.

In Other Races

In the presidential contest,  Newtown supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, who received 7,395 votes to the 7,130 ballots cast in favor of GOP challenger Donald Trump.

In Connecticut's 28th Senate District race, Newtown voters cast 8,697 ballots for incumbent GOP Senator Tony Hwang, versus 5,937 votes that were cast locally for Democratic challenger Philip Dwyer. Sen Hwang won that multitown race handily, capturing in excess of 60 percent of the vote, according to the Associated Press.

After campaigning strongly on the importance of family, Sen Hwang was surrounded by his own family members in a Facebook video he posted shortly after learning he had won another term. He told supporters, "We talk about running for office because we want to make a positive difference in peoples' lives. And we do that by making a commitment to run reflecting the values of the voters.

"We need to work together, we need to move forward and heal, because there is far too much work we need to get done," he said. "We need to fix our budget, we need to control our spending, we need to create jobs and build our economy. When we do those things, we can take care of those most at risk."

Mr Dwyer sent a note to

The Newtown Bee thanking all his supporters, friends, and family, saying he called Sen Hwang to concede the election and to offer him congratulations.

"I wish him well as he starts his second term representing the citizens of the 28th District in Hartford," Mr Dwyer said. "I plan to continue my service to Fairfield and the region through engagement with the Fairfield Board of Education, the Rotary Club, and other associations. I encourage all candidates who placed their name on the ballot, and were not successful, to do the same. Our region, and state, is made stronger by active citizens who are engaged in elective office, are part of the political process, and involved in civic engagement."

Newtown voters also supported the Second District GOP challenger and declared winner Will Duff, who was running for the seat vacated by US Senate candidate Dan Carter.

Locally, Mr Duff outpaced Democratic challenger Raghib Allie-Brennan 329 to 263, although the overlap of constituents in several western Newtown neighborhoods represents a fraction of all eligible voters in that statehouse district - which also includes parts of Redding, Danbury, and all of Bethel.

Mr Duff dispatched a brief statement saying, "I am humbled and privileged to be elected as the new State Representative for the Second District. It is now time to put partisan politics behind us and come together and work to bring jobs and economic growth back to Connecticut."

Another regional race - for probate judge - was captured by former Bethel Probate Judge Dan O'Grady, who bested Ridgefield attorney Sharon Wicks Dornfeld.

"I am humbled and grateful to become the next regional Judge of Probate serving Newtown, Bethel, Redding, and Ridgefield," Mr O'Grady told The Newtown Bee. "I would like to thank all the voters who graciously opened their doors to me during my campaign, in addition to everyone, especially my friends and family who supported me and helped to make this possible. I look forward to serving the people in the district to the best of my ability."

Ms Dornfeld also sent a statement, saying, "Although I regret that I will not have the opportunity to serve as Judge of Probate, I am feeling nothing but gratitude for having had the opportunity to campaign for the office. I have met wonderful people, enjoyed interesting and thought-provoking conversations, and discovered new and lovely parts of towns I already thought I knew well. I wish Attorney O'Grady nothing but the best as he returns to the bench and trust that the Northern Fairfield Probate Court will continue the fine tradition of service established by Judge Joe Egan."

In the US Congressional Race for the 5th District, Newtown voters endorsed Democratic incumbent Elizabeth Esty, who received 8,097 votes to Republican challenger Clay Cope's 6,708 votes.

In other news, the 112th District, which encompasses all of Monroe and several southern neighborhoods in Newtown, saw its unopposed incumbent Republican JP Sredzinski re-elected to a second term.

The local race for Registrars of Voters, which also saw both candidates unopposed, seated incumbent Democrat LeReine Frampton, and GOP newcomer Carey Shierloh.

All poll numbers reflected in this report are preliminary, and are not official until verified by the local registrars. Reporters Kendra Bobowick and Alissa Silber contributed to this report.

Check back - this report will be updated with official verified ballot counts.