Early Voting Starts for Democratic Primary in Lyme and Old Lyme

LYME-OLD LYME – Residents in Lyme and Old Lyme who are eligible to vote in the Aug. 11 Democratic Primary can begin early voting this week, with local election officials providing details on voting hours, locations and new procedures.

The Democratic Primary for the gubernatorial race will take place Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must be registered members of the Democratic Party to participate. No Republican primary is scheduled in Lyme or Old Lyme.

The deadline has passed for voters registered with another party to switch to the Democratic Party for this primary. Unaffiliated voters who want to vote may still affiliate by noon on Aug. 10 to vote on Primary Day, though the deadline has passed for unaffiliated voters to cast ballots early. New voters may register and enroll as Democrats until noon on Aug. 10. Registration must be completed by noon the day before voting.

In Lyme, the Registrars of Voters have issued a frequently asked questions guide outlining several changes for this year’s election, including a new polling room layout and updated early voting procedures.

The flow of the polling room at Lyme Town Hall will be reversed. Voters will enter through the same door as in previous elections but will turn left to check in before proceeding clockwise to receive a ballot, vote, use the tabulator and exit.

Early voting procedures also have changed under a new state law. Instead of placing ballots in signed envelopes, early voters will insert their ballots directly into the tabulator after signing a logbook affirming that they are casting only one ballot. Registrars said the change allows voters to identify and correct ballot-marking errors immediately.

Early voting and Primary Day voting will be held in Lyme at the Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road. Old Lyme early voting will be held at Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme St., with Primary Day voting at the Lyme-Old Lyme-Middle School gymanasium, 53 Lyme St.

Voting in both towns will run from Monday, Aug. 3 to Sunday, Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with extended hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and Thursday, Aug. 6.

Election Day voting will take place Aug. 11 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Additional changes include new absentee ballot rules allowing voters to correct certain signature errors, while absentee ballots returned to the town clerk are considered cast and cannot be withdrawn for in-person voting. Election officials also noted that voting tabulators are not connected to the internet and that results will not be released during early voting.