Newtown’s registrars of voters, the head of the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC), and the secretary of the state have all released information pertinent to the upcoming November 4 elections.

Democratic Registrar LeReine Frampton told The Newtown Bee this week that her office has permanently deactivated Edmond Town Hall as a polling location. She explained that while the building is compliant with Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria for a public gathering place, it is not in compliance with the stricter ADA standards for a polling place.

District 3-2 voters will now report to the cafetorium at Reed Intermediate School, where they will cast ballots alongside voters from the Second District. Ms Frampton said separate stations will be set up for each district within the cafetorium.

“Reed is a much better facility for ease of handicapped access,” the local voting official said. “And I believe it’s physically closer and more convenient for voters in [District] 3-2 for them to go to Reed.”

Notices will also be distributed by mail to all affected Newtown voters in the coming weeks, she added.

In other election news, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill reminds eligible voters who wish to register online or by mail, that they must do so by Tuesday, October 21.

The final deadline to register to vote in-person at town or city offices is Tuesday, October 28. Secretary Merrill is encouraging every eligible Connecticut voter with a driver’s license to go online at htpps://voterregistration.ct.gov to register to vote securely and quickly.

Secretary Merrill is also reporting that so far in 2014, at least 53,940 new voters have registered, including 15,924 Democrats, 10,303 Republicans, and 26,276 unaffiliated voters.

As of September 30, there are a total of 1,931,880 registered voters in Connecticut, including 706,211 Democrats, 402,840 Republicans, and 803,564 unaffiliated voters.

“We are coming into the home stretch of the 2014 election cycle,” said Secretary Merrill. “I strongly encourage any eligible voter with a driver’s license to use our online voter registration system to sign up to vote. It is easy, quick and secure, and you can even do it on our mobile app! I urge every eligible voter: don’t sit on the sidelines. Critical decisions about our state and federal government will be made by the people we elect to represent us Election Day. Make sure your voice is heard and register to vote!”

Secretary Merrill urges any US citizen aged 18 or over to go online at to find out if they are registered to vote, register to vote, find out where their polling place is located, or download an application for an absentee ballot if they will be out of town or physically unable to be in their polling place on Election Day Tuesday November 4.www.sots.ct.gov/vote

Polls will be open that day from 6 am until 8 pm for the general election.

Enforcement Complaints

At this period in the election cycle, campaigns are active, candidates are competing for office, and complaints about their activity are frequent at the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

The press, the public, and candidates themselves regularly ask about the process by which complaints are handled at the commission, and what, in fact, it means to have a complaint filed against a candidate and then have it investigated by the Commission’s Enforcement Unit.

Complaints can be filed by any person who signs and notarizes a statement; there is no cost to file a complaint. All complaints are assigned a docket number by staff and are brought before the commission at its regular monthly meeting for an initial determination as to whether the complaint alleges facts that, if proven true, would constitute a violation of election law.

If the complaint meets this standard, the commission determines that it should be investigated. No evidence is required for this determination: all that is required is that the allegation fall within the jurisdiction of the commission.

“We resolve all complaints through a standard process, the same for all,” stated Michael Brandi, executive director and general counsel. “The mere filing and docketing of a complaint does not mean that a violation has occurred. Complaints are regularly dismissed by the commission with no finding of a violation.”

At this point in the election cycle, as a part of the process, if a complaint alleges an expenditure or a contribution violation, and the respondent is a candidate running for statewide office or the General Assembly, they are likely to be subject to a post-election audit review, which is very thorough, Mr Brandi said.

“The issue raised by the complaint is then made a part of the review process and resolved in that way, in coordination with our Enforcement Unit; it avoids a duplication of efforts on our part and double jeopardy on the part of the respondent,” he added. “If the candidate is not selected for audit review, then the matter is resolved as a normal complaint would be as soon as possible after the election and audit selection process.”

Mr Brandi said complaints made against candidates during the election cycle, like all complaints filed with the commission, are just accusations, and the presumption of innocence applies.

“Sometimes a complaint results in the finding of a violation; sometimes it does not,” he said. “But it shouldn’t be viewed as any indication of wrongdoing before the investigation is complete and the facts are determined by the commission.”

For more information contact Joshua Foley, spokesperson for the SEEC, at joshua.foley@ct.gov.