Fairfield’s Election-Day Registration Location Settled Outside of Court

FAIRFIELD, CT — The location of Fairfield’s same-day voting and registration on Election Day ended up being decided outside of the courts after the town’s Registrars of Voters reached agreement late Wednesday night to the original plan, according to the Fairfield Citizen.

The Barone Campus Center at Fairfield University will serve as the location as the sides had originally planned (back in Sept. 2015).

The Citizen reports that the agreement between Republican Roger Autuori and Democrat Matt Waggner, who have a history of conflicts, apparently fell apart when Autuori questioned the cybersecurity for the registration system and some of Waggner’s actions.

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Prior to both sides reaching agreement on the original agreement, the Secretary of the State’s office told the registrars that a complaint would be filed with the Attorney General’s office and they would have to appear at a hearing, according to the Citizen.

The battle between the registrars over the location for the Election Day registration also caused some angst for Fairfield University students.

The presidents of Fairfield University's College Republicans and College Democrats issued a joint press release on the situation (prior to the announcement of the agreement).

"College voters deserve to have their voices heard," Fairfield University College Republican President Ariana Lenci said. "Election Day registration is a great way to get college voters engaged in the process. That's why I support the agreement to hold Election Day registration on campus at Fairfield University."

"I appreciate my colleague and friend Ariana Lenci’s support of this initiative," Fairfield University College Democratic President Riley Barrett said. “It is only common sense to get more college students involved at an early age. By holding Election Day registration on campus we can give more young people the opportunity to elect their leaders and participate in our democracy. For many students, this will be the first presidential election they are eligible to vote in."

"It's not every day that College Democrats and College Republicans unite on an issue," Fairfield Democratic Town Committee Chairman Steven Sheinberg said. "But the fact is that they both understand that preventing Election Day registration from taking place at the university would make it more difficult for students to exercise their right to vote."

Read more on the agreement between the Registrars of Voters at the Fairfield Citizen here.

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