With just over two weeks until Election Day, campaigns are now kicking into high gear trying to get votes.
But of course before you can fill out a ballot, you have to be registered, and there's more than one way to do that.
NBC Connecticut's Mike Hydeck spoke with Registrar of Voters in Sprague Barbara Crouch about upcoming deadlines.
Mike Hydeck: So registering online is probably the easiest and quickest way. Who is eligible to do that, and what's the deadline?
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Barbara Crouch: The deadline to register online to ensure that you can vote in the November 8 elections is November 1. It is easiest to register online if you have a Connecticut driver's license, or Connecticut State ID. However, you can register online with your Social Security Number. But I would suggest it would be better to, if you're going to use your Social Security Number, to register in person at your Registrar of Voters office.
Mike Hydeck: And that leads me perfectly to my next question. Is the deadline the same or the options the same for in-person registration?
Barbara Crouch: Not really, actually. We prefer that everybody get registered by November 1. That helps us do our jobs better. But if you're moving, because remember, the third or fourth of November is over that weekend. You can actually register Monday before the election until 5 p.m. at your Registrar of Voters office. If you are going to mail in, and not do it in person, it must be postmarked by November 1, but it needs to be received by us the Thursday before, which is the third.
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Mike Hydeck: So in recent elections, we have seen some very long lines when it came to same day registration. Notably in New Haven there was a super long line of Yale students registering same-day at the last minute. What should residents know if they wait until Election Day to try to register?
Barbara Crouch: It will be a much longer process and don't forget, if you're not registered, you can't get an absentee ballot. So heaven forbid if something happens the night before Election Day and you want an emergency absentee ballot and you're not registered, you can't do that. It's also going to take much longer. So normally, waiting times even at the polls are very short. But if you're trying to register and vote, it's a little bit more cumbersome. We need more identification and things of that nature. So it's really best for everybody involved and to ensure that your vote counts if you just go ahead. It's so easy in Connecticut to register online. This weekend, I always like to say Halloween night, the weekend before. This weekend, while you're at your kids soccer game, just pull out your phone and register or check your registration. So if you've moved, if you've changed your name because you've gotten married, anything like that, you can just go online with the Secretary of State's office, check your registration, register and then it's easy-peasy on Election Day. You just go in, cast your ballot and go about your rest of your day.
