The Town & City Clerk’s Office in Bristol is temporarily reducing the hours it will be open to help staff get ready for the November election.
From Oct. 1 to Nov. 6, the office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, instead of staying open until 5 p.m.
The change in hours is because of “an unprecedented demand for ballots and to allow the staff to ready for the upcoming 2020 election,” according to the mayor’s office.
“The change in hours is due to several factors,” Town and City Clerk Therese Pac said in a statement. “The emails, calls and customers have increased dramatically. Added to that are the extra duties required for the 2020 election. This forced us to take a hard look at how best to serve the public as well as maintain our day to day operations. After talking to other Clerks across the State, many of them have chosen to close their offices to the public for a portion of the day to ensure that work can be processed.”
“Voter registration increased again this year; it's been increasing steadily since 2016. We have 2.2 million voters now. That is literally an all-time-high,” Merrill said.
Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said in a statement that the clerk’s office is providing services by appointment only due to the Covid pandemic.
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“While the elimination of afternoon hours may be inconvenient for some, it is more important that none of the election work or absentee ballot work be delayed in order to ensure a fair and orderly election November 3rd,” Zoppo-Sassu said.
Residents can check the Town/City Clerk’s web page, or email or call the office with questions.
Many Connecticut residents are registering to vote online. Get information here.
