Election Day is Tuesday, November 7.
This year. all races are local. Candidates are competing for seats on the Board of Education, Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Representative Town Meeting.
Each of those bodies has a direct, sometimes immediate impact on our lives, and our community.
To find out more on each candidate, click here for the Westport League of Women Voters’ guide; then enter your address.
You’ll get a ton of information on all the races, plus candidates’ biographies and statements.
The website links automatically to your correct RTM district (there are 9 in Westport; each district elects 4 RTM members).
Below is a map of RTM districts. You can also click here.
To check whether you are registered to vote, click here. You can use the same link to register, and to change your name, address and/or party affiliation.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Unsure of your polling place? Click here.
Need an absentee ballot? Click here.
Of course, it takes a ton of people to ensure that Election Day runs smoothly. Poll workers are key.
Hours for a whole day are 5:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.; the full-day pay is $265.
Half-day shifts are either 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 12:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.; the half-day shift is $145.
Both full and half-day rates include 1 hour of mandatory election training (required by statute), and a food stipend. The town provides water, coffee and light snacks throughout the day.
All poll workers must be valid, registered Connecticut voters (though not necessarily in Westport).
Westport voters and poll workers, in 2017.
Officials are also looking for “strong” people to help with set-up. It is done in teams, and includes lifting equipment (nothing more than 35 pounds).
Hauling equipment takes place next Monday and/or Tuesday (October 30 or 31), depending on workers’ availability.
Set-up also takes place Monday, November 6.
Hours for set-up are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pay is $18 per hour.
To apply to help with set-up, or for any questions about voting and Election day, contact the registrars of voters: (Democratic) Deborah Greenberg, dgreenberg@westportct.gov, 203-341-1115; (Republican) Maria Signore, msignore@westportct.gov, 203-341-1115.
Voting is getting even more convenient this year!
Absentee ballots can now be requested online
at the portal.ct.gov/sots (Secretary of the State) website
Dan linked to above.
The Westport Town Clerk turned mine around super quick.
Plus, since last year, you don’t have to be sick yourself to check “Sickness” as your absentee excuse.
Plus, for those who lament the fact that CT
(along with Alabama and Mississippi of all states
(…and NH))
lacks early voting,
Not only is this coming to CT starting January 2024,
but in fact you can actually vote early right now! Today!
Simply drop your absentee ballot in the box behind Town Hall.
Or spend the $0.66 and mail it in.
Not registered to vote (Why???)
You still have until Halloween to walk into Town Hall and do so.
Too lazy to do that?
CT offers Election Day registration!
Fail to vote and in a week and a half you’ll have
forfeited your right to complain about how
Westport is run.
Ken Stamm
Saugatuck
Unfortunately, the League of Women Voters’ guide does not include an important candidate in the race for Board of Education because she is an independent, not a Republican or Democrat: Jill Dillon.
Unless you are an extreme right-wing Republican, you should vote for Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips, both Democratic incumbents, AND VOTE FOR JILL, TOO. (You can vote for up to three candidates.)
To vote for Jill you need to fill in the circle in box 5e and print her name (“Jill Dillon”) inside that box.
See https://www.jilldillon.com for more info about Jill.
For more info about Republican candidate Camilo Riano, see https://06880danwoog.com/2023/10/04/opinion-3rd-selectwoman-riano-nomination-a-turning-point-for-our-community/ for the view of Democrat Candice Savin, a former chair Board of Ed Chair on one of the Republican candidates, or see https://06880danwoog.com/2023/09/11/opinion-robert-harrington-fellow-gop-member-running-for-ed-board-crosses-the-line/ for the view of Republican Robert Harrington, a current member of the board of Ed.
If you have any doubt that the other Republican candidate for the Board of Ed has similar positions, please see https://06880danwoog.com/2023/10/13/board-of-ed-candidates-debate-academic-rigor-soft-skills-library-books-and-more/ for Mia Bomback’s report on the recent candidate’s debate sponsored by the LWV. You can watch the full debate at https://play.champds.com/westportct/event/436
I agree with you, that all candidates ought to appear on a voter guide, never mind the ballot, but correct me if I’m wrong: Is the reason for the LWV’s omission of Ms. Dillon due to her not appearing on the ballot, as opposed to not being (D) or (R)? This year’s ballot features three political parties.
Hi, Ken. Having entered the race pretty recently, we tried to get into the LWV online voter guide but they told us it was too late. However, I AM an official write-in candidate and my paperwork is filed with the Secretary of State. Please re-elect Lee and Neil and write in Jill Dillon in box 5E and fill in the bubble in box 5E too.
Jill
Happy to help if you Can you give us your views of the P&R baseball field going on top of the gardens. We all want the school. Some of us want to keep our natural open space, open to any resident when available, beautiful garden. We should know. I’ll probably vote for you anyway but do me a favor and tell me!😘
I guess you got me there🤔. God bless and guide the children who are inheriting your view of the world.
Really ? Well I don’t think I feel like spending my tax dollars on funding your view of the world. And your children are not more important than the garden. I’m not even a member of the garden, but by God I have a right to an opinion on how my tax dollars are spent and on what ?
Not to mention nobody is suggesting you have to choose the garden or plot as you condescendingly put it, over the school since both can happily co exist. The gardeners are not suggesting otherwise. FYI.
Though I suppose you are talking about your soccer or baseball kids. Since, after all long lots school and the gardens can be kept intact. AND long lots children won’t be using the artificial turf field slated to take over the gardens space.
What an absurd and mis guided statement.
It is people with these sorts of opinions that destroy our town.
Needless to say none of your children will be pursuing a career in environmental science or sustainability.
Our schools are perfect.
Leave our gardens alone.
And in particular with emmilys comment below in mind, please do enlighten us Jill on your Gardens, Parker Harding opinion. Very important for constituents to know where you stand on these topics.
A non-controversial, political question (or so I hope): why is there a 1 and a 1A? Did we run out of numbers?
Thank you!
Westport has two State Representatives
Rep. Dominique Johnson, 143rd District (Norwalk/Westport)
Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, 136th District (Westport)
The borders of the 143rd in Westport encompass RTM District 2 and 1A.
This is important in even numbered years when the Connecticut General Assembly is up for election.
Playing devil’s advocate, the counterpoint would be:
By all means vote against the Republican candidates if you want a social justice/DEI curriculum that ultimately results in college students across America demonstrating in support of the Palestinians victims against their Israeli oppressors.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-marxian-roots-of-campus-anti-semitism-eeae25d0
https://www.wsj.com/articles/war-destroys-leftist-orthodoxies-6947fb06
I’m sure Neil And Lee are both lovely people. But even The NY Times understands the link between the DEI/social justice movement and what is happening on college campuses. It’s worth reading the article including clicking through the links (the NPR one from a couple of years ago is particularly interesting) to understand the dynamics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/27/us/politics/biden-democrats-israel-2024.html
No question, the headline messages of DEI are reasonable and are hard to argue with however it’s also worth understanding the endgame lest one become a “useful idiot”.
Stephanie is neither useful nor an idiot.
I’m sure decrying innocents dying on both sides was what they meant when they were chanting “from the river to the sea”. /smh
No clue what you are rambling about. In the words of Yoda: Such anger in you there is. Bulging veins in your neck I see.
Of course they don’t teach that in Westport elementary schools. In CT, CA or MA. But it is one of the ultimate ends of the DEI curriculum.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/critical-social-justice-campus-dei-woke-antisemitism-diversity-857bed9b