Southbury Presidential Primaries Information 2016

Shared by the town of Southbury:

APRIL 26th PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES IN CONNECTICUT.

There might be some confusion regarding voting eligibility in the primaries so we would like to answer some questions that Southbury Registrar of Voters and Town Clerk departments have been recently receiving.

Q. What parties are having primaries?
A. Republican and Democratic parties only.

Q. Do I need to be registered with a party to vote in the primary?
A. Yes, only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote in this presidential primary.

Q. I am a registered Republican. Can I vote in the Democratic primary? (Or vice-versa.)
A. No. Connecticut does not allow cross-voting. Only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party's primary. So, if you are a registered Democrat you can only vote in the Democratic primary. And if you a registered Republican you can only vote in the Republican primary.

Q. I am registered to vote but am unaffiliated. Can I vote in the primary?
A. No. An unaffiliated voter must join the Republican or Democratic party in order to vote in their primaries.

Q. What’s the difference between UNAFFILIATED and INDEPENDENT?
A. "Unaffiliated" is the term used to refer to voters who are not registered with a political party. This term is used instead of “independent" to avoid confusion with the Independent Party, which is an established political party. If you write “Independent” in section 9 of your Voter Registration, you will be registered as a member of the Independent Party.

Q. I am registered to vote but am unaffiliated. Can I still join a party to vote in their primary?
A. Yes. The last date for unaffiliated voters to join a party to vote in the primary is April 25 at noon.

Q. I am a registered Democrat. Can I still change my party affiliation to vote in the Republican primary? (Or vice-versa.)
A. No. The last date to change party affiliation to vote in this primary was January 26.

Q. Can I register to vote on the day of the primary?
A. No, Election Day Voter Registration is not available for primaries. The last date to register to vote in the presidential primary is April 25 at noon.

For more information about elections and voting please visit the Southbury Registrar of Voters page at http://www.southbury-ct.org/vote.