Nearly 30 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots in local elections when polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, following a day that saw candidates for offices including Town Council greet constituents at the middle and high schools through a clear, warm day and chilly evening.
Here’s a table showing total votes cast in recent local election years:
New Canaan Voter Turnout, Recent Local Elections
| Year | Voter Turnout |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 5,281 |
| 2015 | 3,674 |
| 2013 | 3,481 |
| 2011 | 2,977 |
| 2009 | 3,437 |
And here’s a table that NewCanaanite.com will update regularly, showing voter turnout in New Canaan hour-by-hour:
New Canaan Election 2015: Voter Turnout, Hourly Count
| Hour | Votes | Percentage of Total Voters |
|---|---|---|
| 7 to 8 p.m. | 254 | 29.36% |
| 6 to 7 p.m. | 335 | 27.33% |
| 5 to 6 p.m. | 333 | 24.65% |
| 4 to 5 p.m. | 273 | 21.98% |
| 3 to 4 p.m. | 238 | 19.8% |
| 2 to 3 p.m. | 255 | 17.9% |
| 1 to 2 p.m. | 260 | 15.85% |
| 12 to 1 p.m. | 275 | 13.77% |
| 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. | 258 | 11.57% |
| 10 to 11 a.m. | 257 | 9.51% |
| 9 to 10 a.m. | 243 | 7.45% |
| 8 to 9 a.m. | 272 | 5.51% |
| 7 to 8 a.m. | 177 | 3.33% |
| 6 to 7 a.m. | 112 | 1.91% |
| Premarked absentees | 127 | 1.02% |
| Total* | 3,671 | 29.38% |
*Includes current hour
Contested races this year include Republican seats on the Town Council, with five GOP candidates vying for four seats—Ken Campbell, Steve Karl, Christa Kenin, Cristina A. Ross and Roger Williams, a petitioning candidate and incumbent—and first selectman, with incumbent Republican Rob Mallozzi seeking re-election, and petitioning candidate Michael Nowacki running independently for the highest elected seat in town.
Karl stood outside Saxe Middle School late Tuesday morning, and when asked how he felt about how things were going, said: “I feel great. The weather is great. Lots of friends and family supporters out. Everything is going well.”
Other candidates we saw answered the same question:
- Ross:”I’m feeling good. Looking forward to the count.”
- Kenin:”Excited and really hoping a lot of new voters come out, who have not been to the polls before. That is one of my goals, to energize local politics.”
- Williams:”I’m feeling very good about my candidacy. I have had lots of people over the last week stopping me in town and coming by the table here at the high school to say they are voting for me and appreciate the job I’ve been doing, and no matter what happens today, it is truly rewarding to see that people actually care when you spend that much time and effort working in a public position.”
Nov. 3, 2015: Election Day at New Canaan High School, one of the town’s two polling places. Credit: Michael Dinan
In addition to campaign signs and tables, and Girl Scouts selling cookies, each school/voting place had a table set up by the group Citizens Supporting Saxe.
Its founder, New Canaan’s Michelle Orr, told NewCanaanite that she’s seen a “good turnout of parents” at the polls.
“We are not endorsing any candidates. We are letting the public know which candidates have publicly supported the expansion, and which have not.”
Constituents who would like to see real-time updates on voter turnout may follow these instructions, provided by the office of the Registrar of Voters:
New Canaan Voterchecklist Information
Instructions for Guests
- Go to voterchecklist.co
- Log in using appropriate username NCDistrict 1 or NCDistrict23 & password ncvoting20155
- On top right of page, click “My Reports”
- On left side, click “November,” then “11/03/15” and there you will be able to see all reports either throughout the day, or at the end of the night.