No Change Yet For Farmington Registrar Pay

FARMINGTON, CT — Local officials have set the salary for the registrars of voters positions in town, but it might increase it should the workload increase following new legislative mandates.

The Farmington Town Council last month unanimously approved the registrars' salaries at $29,400 a year, the same pay as prior, for both the Democratic and GOP registrars.

That will be the case for the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, according to town officials.

Setting the registrars' salaries is standard procedure for the council and surveys show that Farmington's registrar pay is "in line with surrounding and similar towns."

The new registrars are new to their positions, town officials wrote, by both are experience poll workers.

"Although the position is part-time, the registrars ultimately bear the responsibility of running the elections," wrote the town in the Dec. 13 council agenda packet.

"They also maintain and manage the extensive number of part-time and temporary workers."

One caveat to the registrars' workload is the expected adoption of early voting rules by the state legislature.

That could increase registrars' workloads and require a pay adjustment, according to town officials.

"Once we understand the additional workload, I recommend that the town council re-examines the salary to see if it is still appropriate," wrote Farmington Town Manager Kathleen Blonski to council members.

Nationally, those in charge of local and state elections have come under fire as the political divide in the country has placed these public servants, often part-time workers, in the crosshairs of critics who are, often, accused of trying to undermine the democratic process and get their candidates installed regardless of the election outcomes.

For more information on the Farmington Registrars of Voters office, click on this link.

For more information on the approved proposal, click on this link and scroll to Page 17.

For the minutes of the Dec. 13 Farmington Town Council meeting, click on this link.