The Republican Registrar of Voters for the City of Hartford says the City Council underfunded the upcoming GOP Presidential Preference Primary on April 24.
"That may mean that no Hartford Republican will be able to vote in the primary," Republican Registrar Salvatore Bramante said.
Recently, council members voted to cut funding for the Republican Presidential Primary in April as well as Tuesday's Democratic Town Committee Primary.
"The sad thing about our situation is that it didn't have to happen," Bramante said.
He requested close to $90,000 to run April's primary. Instead the Republicans will receive $53,934.86.
Democrats are slated to get $65,698.50.
Of the nine City Council members, six are Democrats.
There are no Republicans on the Council, but 1,831 Republicans could cast their ballots in April's primary.
"We arrived at this number by reconciling your request with the statutory requirements for minimum staffing at each polling place set forth in Connecticut General Statutes," council president Shawn Wooden wrote in an internal memo sent to both registrars and obtained by NBC Connecticut.
Bramante believes the decrease in funding could jeopardize the integrity of the electoral process.
"If I get told I need to add more people and they limited my funding, how am I going to pay these people?" Bramante asked.
Hartford's chief operating officer said budget constraints are the main reason for the funding cuts.
"Certainly all of us here need to work more efficiently, look at new ways of doing things," David Panagore said. "It is a challenge."
A spokesperson for the mayor said the city would never deny anyone the right to vote.
"It's possible to do this as a very good election with the money that's been made available," Panagore said.
