Greenwich Registrars To Hold Presentation On Administering Elections

GREENWICH, CT — Following last month's controversial Representative Town Meeting vote on a grant from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence to the town's Registrars of Voters, there will be an educational presentation on administering elections in today’s politically charged environment on Feb. 27 for RTM members and the public.

The presentation is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and will be held both in person and over Zoom.

Registrars Mary Hegarty, a Democrat, and Fred DeCaro, a Republican, will share their observations and experiences on the collaboration that is needed to administer elections.

They will also present additional information they've prepared in response to questions and comments since the controversial January RTM vote on the grant money.

Guest speakers will make short presentations as part of the Alliance for Election Excellence, an offshoot of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL).

Greenwich was to receive a $500,000 grant from the alliance "for the purpose of planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration infrastructure."

During its regularly scheduled meeting in January, the RTM discussed the grant ahead of a vote.

Opponents of the grant questioned the motives of the CTCL and whether they could influence elections or pry voter data.

Some RTM members said private money from a nonprofit organization should not be injected into local elections, and that public trust in Greenwich's elections would wane as a result.

Proponents, like Hegarty and DeCaro, said the money was needed to purchase and update pertinent election equipment and technology, and to respond to provisions of state law related to early voting.

The RTM voted to approve the grant by a vote of 104 in favor, 101 opposed and five abstentions. However, some RTM members claimed their vote wasn't counted properly by the legislative body's new electronic voting system.

Meridia, the vendor for the voting system, conducted a review with the Greenwich Town Clerk's office and said they found no defects or flaws, and the vote on the grant stood. But there are plans to challenge the vote during the RTM meeting on March 13.

First Selectman Fred Camillo has not signed off yet on the grant money. He said he wants to wait to see how the legislative process plays out in the RTM.

According to the town website, at the end of the presentation, the registrars will provide details on a new program where members of the public can get an even deeper understanding of how elections are run and the efforts of election officials to honor their oaths and make elections secure, transparent and accurate.

The entire presentation will be recorded for later viewing on the GCTV YouTube channel.