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By John Schwing

WESTPORT — Connecticut’s presidential primaries officially take place next week, and with the nominations already clinched in both the Democratic and Republican parties, voters may wonder what’s the point to casting ballots.

Letting your voice be heard, regardless of the outcome, is fundamental to American democracy, but there is another issue at play: history.

For the first time, voters in Westport and across the state will be able to cast ballots on four days in advance of the actual primary date — Tuesday, April 2.

Under an amendment to the state’s Constitution, approved with strong voter support in 2022, four days of voting prior to the primary start this week on Tuesday, March 26. The measure also won overwhelming support from Westport voters, with a better than three-to-one margin.

Prior to inauguration of early voting in Connecticut, the state had been an outlier among the other 50 states, one of only four to prohibit some form of early voting. The other three are Mississippi, Alabama and New Hampshire.

In its debut for the presidential primaries, voting will take place over four days designated in advance of the April 2 primary.

For this November’s general election, legislation approved last year requires municipalities to offer 14 days of early voting.

The local early-voting schedule for the presidential primaries is:

  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 26-28, in Room 201 of Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave.
  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 30, in the Town Hall auditorium
  • There will be no early voting on March 29, March 31 or April 1.
  • On April 2, primary day, voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.
  • All balloting for this year’s presidential primaries will take place at Town Hall, and not the usual district polling stations.
  • Voters must be registered with the political party in whose primary they plan to cast a ballot. Unaffiliated voters or those registered with minor parties are not eligible to participate.

For questions, call the Registrars of Voters Office at 203-341-1115.