Election Day 2025 in West Hartford: New Tabulators, and Other Information You Need to Know
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Voting sign at West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
A municipal election will be held in West Hartford on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
Sample ballot for West Hartford 2025 municipal election
By Ronni Newton
West Hartford voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, to elect candidates for Town Council and Board of Education.
All polling places will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. The polling places are listed below, and if you aren’t sure if you are registered, or which polling place you should go to, that information can be found on the Secretary of the State’s “Look Up” site here.
- District #1-1 and 1-2 – King Philip Middle School, 100 King Philip Drive
- District #2 – Bristow Middle School, 34 Highland Street
- District #3 – West Hartford Town Hall, 50 South Main Street, Room 314
- District #4-1 and 4-2 – Charter Oak International Academy, 425 Oakwood Avenue
- District #5 – Conard High School, 110 Beechwood Road
- District #6 – Sedgwick Middle School, 128 Sedgwick Road
- District #7 – Bugbee Elementary School, 1943 Asylum Avenue
- District #8 – Hall High School, 975 North Main Street
Map of West Hartford voting districts. Town of West Hartford website
While there are separate districts within West Hartford, the ballots contain an identical list of candidates, and all are in the same order – which was determined by lottery.
Poll workers will ask prospective voters for some form of identification – a driver’s license, utility bill, paycheck, or other ID – to confirm eligibility to vote. For complete details about acceptable identification, visit the Secretary of the State’s website.
Those who have already taken the opportunity to utilize the early voting option do not need to visit a polling place on Election Day. The Secretary of the State’s Office reported on Monday morning that 3,620 early votes were cast in West Hartford – the eighth most of any town in the state. Throughout Connecticut, early voting took place for 14 days, from Monday, Oct. 20 through Sunday, Nov. 2.
Ballot drop boxes at West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Those who are voting by absentee ballot can still drop their ballots off by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at one of the secure Election Drop Boxes which are located in front of Town Hall or in the Faxon Library parking lot. Ballots – including those that have been mailed – must be received by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in order to count.
According to the West Hartford Town Clerk’s Office, as of Monday afternoon 690 absentee ballots had been issued, and 587 had been returned.
The new DS300 tabulators will be located in each polling place, and have a touch screen that notifies voters once their ballot has been accepted. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
New tabulators in use this year
New tabulating machines from ES&S are in use throughout the entire state for the 2025 election, Beth Kyle, the Republican registrar of voters, said Monday. They were piloted in nine different towns last year, and following the successful test have been rolled out statewide, she said.
The tabulators that were previously in use were “past their shelf life by a few years,” Kyle said, and sometimes broke down. The new machines will be a change from what voters are used to seeing in their polling places.
The new DS300 tabulators have touch screens that provide rapid feedback and instant verification to voters regarding the status of a ballot after it has been inserted. A message on the screen will state “scanning ballot – please wait” and within 15 seconds will indicate whether the ballot has been accepted and counted – or if it has been rejected.
The new DS300 tabulators will be located in each polling place, and have a touch screen that notifies voters once their ballot has been accepted. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Error messages may be caused by over voting – for those who vote for more than the the maximum number of candidates for a specific position – or if there are unreadable marks on the ballot. The ballot will shoot back out of the tabulator, and the voter will be given the option of returning their ballot to a poll worker and receiving a new ballot to be completed correctly.
A video detailing the use of the new tabulators can be viewed here.
Nothing else about the voting process has changed, both Kyle and Elizabeth Rousseau, the Democratic registrar of voters, said. The polling places are the same, the check-in process is identical, ballots are still paper and can be fed into the tabulator face down or face up, the tabulators do not connect to the internet, and the process is still “quick, easy, safe, and secure.”
Kyle said all Election Day workers have been trained for their roles, including the new responsibilities of the tabulator tenders.
“We’re excited about the new machines because voters may have noticed the old machines jam on occasion,” Kyle said.
The new tabulators are built into a sealed container where the ballots safely remain, and contain secure ports for memory sticks that store the data and are removed after the polls close.
Receipts produced by the new tabulators have also been upgraded, and are printed on thermal paper, making them easier to read.
“We are fans so far,” Rousseau said.
Counting ballots
Along with the new tabulators that are in use at each polling place, a large new tabulator, the DS950 will be in use at Town Hall for counting absentee ballots, early voting ballots, and same day registration ballots. All will have been placed in sealed envelopes by the voter, and those envelopes are not opened until Election Day.
Counting takes place in the Town Hall auditorium on Election Day, beginning with early voting ballots which are opened and counted at 8 a.m., Rousseau said, followed by absentee ballots and same day registration ballots.
The DS950 can handle a large volume at once, and is capable of counting 200 ballots per minute. Ballots land in one of three trays – those that are uncounted for reasons such as unreadable marks, ballots with write-in candidates, and ballots that are counted. The are no certified write-in candidates in West Hartford for this election, the registrars said.
The DS950 is a large tabulator used for the early voting ballots as well as absentee ballots. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
What if I’m not yet registered to vote?
Those not yet registered to vote but who are eligible to do so may register to vote and vote via the Same Day Registration on Election Day in Room 400 of West Hartford Town Hall Room.
If you are using the Same Day Registration option and your state-issued identification does not have your current address, please note that proper documentation of your correct address must be provided, and include, according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s website, a PRINTED “copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address.”
For more information about documentation needed for Same Day Registration, see the Registrar of Voters webpage.
Who are the candidates?
We-Ha.com has given all candidates the opportunity to complete identical questionnaires in advance of this election. The following responses have been submitted:
Town Council (listed in alphabetical order)
Meet the Candidate: Shari Cantor
Meet the Candidate: Alberto Cortes
Meet the Candidate: Gayle Harris
Meet the Candidate: Lisa Lazarus
Meet the Candidate: John Lyons
Meet the Candidate: Tiffani McGinnis
Meet the Candidate: Barry Walters
Meet the Candidate: Jason Wang
Meet the Candidate: Ben Wenograd
Meet the Candidate: Kyle Zelazny
Board of Education (listed in alphabetical order)
Meet the Candidate: Miriam Bleich
Meet the Candidate: Jason Gagnon
Meet the Candidate: Jennifer Herz
Meet the Candidate: Jonathan Weiner
The Registrars of Voters Office is open for extended hours on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit the Registrars of Voters web page at www.westhartfordct.gov/vote/
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