Newcomer Simon Apparent Winner In Stratford Registrar Race

STRATFORD, CT — Newcomer James Simon appears to have defeated longtime Democratic Registrar of Voters Rick Marcone in Tuesday’s primary, according to preliminary results.

Returns Tuesday night showed Simon received 2,559 votes, while Marcone got 1,141 votes. Of the 4,249 Democrats who had voted as of Tuesday, 2,424 of the votes counted came from absentee ballots. Tuesday’s returns are not final, as absentee ballots received before Thursday but postmarked for Tuesday will be counted.

“Stratford Democrats took full advantage of the mail-in ballot, which I think is terrific because it gives them another option. I’ll be doing all I can to help make it a permanent option,” Simon said Tuesday in a prepared statement.

Marcone has been the registrar for 12 years, but in May the Stratford Democratic Town Committee endorsed former Town Council candidate Simon to run for the position. Marcone then petitioned to challenge Simon in the primary.

"I'm obviously very disappointed," Marcone said in an email Wednesday.

Simon is a scholar in residence at Southern Connecticut State University. His priorities for the registrar’s office include addressing gerrymandering in town and cutting costs by scaling back the role of registrar to part-time, he has said.

“Stratford Democrats, like Democrats across the country, are sick and tired of the political establishment making promises and then doing nothing in office,” Simon said in a prepared statement. “This is part of the national wave of progressive candidates winning office because voters want action, not inaction by long-time office holders.”

Despite Tuesday’s apparent defeat, Marcone may not be through with the campaign season. He has gained access to the November ballot as a petitioning candidate and said Wednesday he would decide in the coming days whether to run. Marcone has touted his plans to keep polls safe and secure despite the coronavirus pandemic and threats to cybersecurity.