Among the hundreds who turned out for curbside absentee voting in New Haven on Sunday was the Walton family.
“Excited and anxious at the same time. You need to make a difference and if we don’t vote, we can’t say anything that is going wrong that you don’t agree with because you didn’t try to make a change. Because you vote, you make a big change,” said Tanya Walton of New Haven.
As of Friday, the Secretary of the State’s Office reported more than 700,000 absentee ballots had been issued across the state. And most – about 584,000 – had already been returned.
“Many people, they don’t think 'oh, let me go vote.' They don’t sit and think 'oh' voting is very important.' So I think that is important. But we need to vote. No matter if you think you don’t have a voice. Everyone has a voice. So vote,” said Adiha Walton of New Haven.
While absentee voting has seen tremendous numbers, some people are still waiting to vote on Election Day.
“My husband just became a citizen and so it’s his first time voting and we wanted to make it, you know, kind of special, in person,” said Naomi Raymond of West Hartford.
Local
For those headed to the polls amid the pandemic, there will be some changes including wearing a mask and social distancing.
“I just hope that we have a leader that is going to look more to unite us than divide us,” said Raymond.
For Yvonne Feliciano of New Britain, she’s still debating how to vote – whether by absentee or in person. But she is more certain about how she’s choosing who to vote for.
“I want somebody who’s honest and is going to help the people that need the help the most,” said Feliciano.
Make sure to get your absentee ballot in one of the special drop boxes by the deadline of 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday night. And for those voting in person, polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 3.