Connecticut voters encountered few problems at the polls on Tuesday as they cast ballots in a tight national race for president and a scattering of competitive contests here for Congress and General Assembly. Aside from an arrest in East Lyme and some long lines, officials said, voting was largely uninterrupted. The pressure at polling places was eased by the number of people who took advantage of the state’s first experience with early in-person voting, according to Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. As of 7 p.m., Thomas said, almost 15,000 people had utilized same-day registration, noting long lines in Stamford and Hartford as people waited to cast their ballots after 8 p.m. More than 740,000 people cast their ballots early. Some towns, such as Norwalk, West Hartford and Stamford, had more than 17,000 early voters each, she said. In North Stonington, many early ballots were deemed invalid because the envelopes containing them hadn’t been signed. Hundreds of people had to return to the polls. Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas provided updated voter turnout numbers as of 11 a.m. Election Day. Credit: Jessika Harkay / CT Mirror “Whenever humans are involved, human error is possible,” Thomas said on Tuesday. “It’s really unfortunate that, despite — I can’t even tell you how many hours of training and handbooks and office hours and an emergency hotline — that that error ever was made, but it was. I do appreciate all of our partners coming together very quickly to try to solve that issue.” Thomas said it was a “very popular election day,” and there haven’t been “any nefarious actions like we’ve been hearing from other parts of the country” in a 4 p.m. update.  Thomas did not provide an update on turnout results a few hours later, explaining that it depended on the count of early voting and absentee ballots. Thomas said she expects some towns to enter results within an hour, but others are still processing voters.  Final tabulator results are expected by 11:59 p.m. tonight, with “more complete results by the end of the day tomorrow,” Thomas said. Registrars, town clerks and the head moderator will confirm results by 9 a.m. Friday, when tabulated and hand counted ballots are due, Thomas said. It’s also the last day to inform a town if a recount is necessary, she added. As for the situation in North Stonington, Thomas said there were 1,144 “ballot envelopes that were potentially left unsigned due to incorrect instructions by the registrars of voters,” but “no one knows how many of those ballots were impacted,” and how many votes will not be counted. Thomas said there had been one arrest in East Lyme. East Lyme Chief of Police Michael Macek said a man was charged with disorderly conduct Tuesday afternoon after several confrontations, including with Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, at a polling station and with a student at the high school who was holding a reproductive rights sign. He also berated Girl Scouts for selling cookies near the town hall, Macek said. Macek said the man had disrupted several elections, “for as long as I can remember, whether it’s local or national,” throughout his 23-year tenure with the department. “We knew ahead of time [that this has been an issue in the past],” Macek said. “I automatically have patrol cars in the vicinity to respond to any situation.” Brenda Bergeron, the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said the department has been working in partnership with the secretary of the state’s office, several state and federal agencies and local partners to ensure a safe Election Day since January. “All of our partners have been monitoring, and I am pleased to say that, overall, it’s been a very successful day. Our security measures were in place, and like carrying an umbrella, it keeps it from raining,” Bergeron said. “We had check in briefs from 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and just now at 6 p.m., and things are looking good, very positive in the state.” But the biggest issue statewide had been long same-day registration lines, Thomas said, adding that the state has reached out to volunteer attorneys to assist registrars.  “I haven’t heard any instances of long lines at polling places,” Thomas said. “It’s all been same-day registration locations. I’ve heard, for example, about college students here in Connecticut who may have thought they would vote in their home state by absentee, but they never received their ballot in time, so now they’re showing up to do same day registration. But, you know, the stories are varied.” In regards to the situation in North Stonington, Thomas said she heard there may be a lawsuit. “I don’t want voters to be disenfranchised because of a glitch at the registrar’s office,” Thomas said. “I would welcome that lawsuit.” With implications for control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives, the rematch between U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, and Republican George Logan is top of mind, if not top of a ballot. Hayes won two years ago by 2,004 votes. A subtext in the elections is the degree to which the results in the General Assembly maintain or further erode the presence and influence of a GOP that steadily has lost voters and legislative seats in the years since Donald J. Trump first occupied the White House. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. At the polls From left, Rep. Francis Cooley, R-Plainville and his opponent, Rebecca Martinez, who also is the DTC chair in Plainville, watch Jahana Hayes chat amiably with the RTC chair, Gayle Dennehy outside a polling place. Credit: Mark Pazniokas / CT Mirror Outside a polling place in Plainville, Hayes arrived in an upbeat, if slightly punchy mood. She hugged Rebecca Martinez, the Democratic chair on the ballot as a candidate for the state House. A TV reporter asked Hayes, “How are you feeling?” “Nauseously optimistic,” Hayes said, laughing. “If there’s such a thing. I’m just glad we’re almost done.” Hayes chatted amiably with Gayle Dennehy, a Realtor wearing a red Make America Great Again T-shirt. Dennehy is the Republican chair and was a Trump delegate in Milwaukee, her first national convention. Rep. Francis Cooley, the Republican whom Martinez lost to by 53 votes two years ago, and Martinez each watched Hayes and Dennehy, who know each other. Comptroller Sean Scanlon, a Democrat, said he saw similar civil interactions as he traveled the state on behalf of Democratic candidates. “I see it everywhere,” Scanlon said. Hayes said she encountered some ugliness, none directed at her, and one moment of graciousness during a stop for lunch in Farmington. She ate near a table occupied by men in Trump gear, one who stood and approached her. He smiled, offered her his hand and wished her well. Hayes said the candidates have all made their cases. “Today belongs to the voters,” she said. About 50 people stood in line to vote at Hartford City Hall around 2:30 p.m., officials said. One guard said there were “too many to count” when asked about turnout earlier in the day. Credit: Jessika Harkay / CT Mirror In Hartford, the polling place at City Hall was busy. There were more than 50 people lined up around 3 p.m., either registering to vote or casting their ballots. At one point, dozens of people flooded into the hall, and the line stretched down the stairs. A few voters filled out their registration and ballots on the handrails. Residents were told the line would take 20 to 30 minutes, and one woman, who declined to provide her name but said she worked as a CNA, said she stopped by before work. She said she wasn’t able to cast her ballot because the lines were too long. “I forgot to come [Sunday for early voting],” she said. “I’m going to ask my job if I can come back at 7.” Beatrice Rodriguez, 61, came out of Hartford City Hall yelling, “That was a nightmare!” Rodriguez told the CT Mirror that there was an initial line when she entered the building, another line to tell what district you were in, another table to get registered and fill out paperwork, then people were able to vote. Beatrice Rodriguez of Hartford had difficulties at the Hartford City Hall polling location. Credit: Jessika Harkay / CT Mirror “It’s not flowing,” she said. “There’s a lot of people. They’re right up on top of each other. It’s hard. But, if you stand in line for the brand new Nikes, or you’re standing in line for the new Sephora lipstick, then you can stand in line and vote for something that really matters.” Rodriguez said her 84-year-old mother had just gotten out of the hospital earlier today and came to cast her ballot. “I’m hoping that the candidate I voted for will do something for the people. I had to come because I’m hoping the next candidate can help the people. The gas is high, the insurance is high, rent is high. I see kids on Instagram in their 20s saying ‘How did you buy a house?’ It was easier for us at their age. I see that people are suffering.” Registrar of Voters Secretary Ivelise Torres carts envelopes of early voting ballots with a security guard past voters in line waiting for same-day registration voting at Bridgeport’s Government Center on Nov. 5, 2024. Poll workers said turnout for early voting in the city had been high since they opened it two weeks prior to the election. Credit: Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public Angeliz Colon, 19, and Maria Perez, 22, both voted for the first time on Tuesday in Bridgeport. And both said they proudly cast their ballots for Kamala Harris. “I feel seen. I feel empowered,” Colon said. The biggest election issue for both women was reproductive rights. And both viewed Donald Trump to be a threat to their rights and the rights of their daughters, if they have children one day. They were also excited to cast their first ballot for what could be the first female president, they said. “This country needs a change,” Perez said. “Just to see a woman run the country would be interesting.” Neither woman said they were that invested in the down-ballot races in Bridgeport this year. But Perez said she voted against the referendum on no-excuse absentee voting because she believes it could lead to more voting fraud in the city. Perez cited the recent criminal charges filed against Wanda Geter-Pataky, the Vice chairwoman of Bridgeport’s Democratic Party, and said she was concerned people would use no-excuse absentee voting to fraudulently fill out absentee ballots in voters names. “I feel like it would be a scam,” she said. Lines stretched through the building and onto the curb in Bridgeport starting mid-morning as voters wait in the same-day registration line at the city’s Government Center on Nov. 5, 2024. Some voters said they had to wait over four hours because turnout was so high. Credit: Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public Melissa Longo, the Republican state House candidate for the 134th District, was campaigning in Trumbull on Tuesday afternoon. She said she’s feeling optimistic about the results. Longo is running against incumbent Democrat Sarah Keitt. “I’m feeling really, really good,” Longo said. “I’m getting good feedback from voters across the aisle.” The location, at Middlebrook Elementary School, had drawn just over 800 voters by around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Moderator Liz Parenzan said everything had been “nice and easy,” and that early voting helped to dilute the Election Day crowds. A woman walks towards the privacy boxes at Middlebrook School in Trumbull to cast her ballot. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror In Shelton on Tuesday morning, Sarah Boaventura brought her 9-year-old daughter with her to vote at Mohegan Elementary School. She was excited to vote for former President Donald Trump, she said. She thinks the economy will be better off under him and says she hasn’t seen the changes she’d hoped for in the last four years while Kamala Harris was vice president. Her daughter, who came with her the last time she voted, proudly wore a “Future Voter” sticker. “When he was president, I think the country was in a better position,” Boaventura said. While presidential candidates dominated the headlines this election season, voters in Farmington on Tuesday wanted to hear more from candidates for Congress and the General Assembly than just their opinions about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. “That’s pretty much sucking up all of the air,” said Carolyn DeGrand, 53, a client senior executive with Cigna and a Trump supporter. DeGrand, who joined her 21-year-old daughter, Maya, in casting ballots at the West Woods Upper Elementary School, said she was supporting candidates ready to reverse four years of inflationary impacts and a sluggish economy. “I’m definitely worse off” now than in 2020, she added. The state races “affect you more personally than the presidential does,” Peter Dean, a 32-year-old Republican, said. Candidates looking for Dean’s support needed to have plans to bolster K-12 education and curriculum, he said while carrying his 2-year-old son, Owen, from the West Woods school. A 24-year-old nurse, Katy Miceli, said many young people struggle, despite good jobs, with student loan debt and high rental costs that make home ownership increasingly difficult. “My generation doesn’t really own anything yet, because we can’t,” Miceli, an independent voter, said, adding that candidates who tackled this issue stood to win support from young voters. But another young unaffliated voter, 25-year-old Briana Bak, said all candidates’ views on the presidential race speak to their character and therefore matter. Bak, an athletic trainer, said she backed Kamala Harris because she has the best plans to improve health care, affordable housing and tax relief. The vice president’s character also shines, Bak said. “As a person, I think, she stands out pretty well,” she added. Key Trump appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court backed the 2022 Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that gave the federal and state governments broad discretion to reduce access to abortion services. But offensive Trump comments about women and minorities also leave Bak distrustful of the former president — and others who campaign alongside him. “I don’t really understand what there is to support about him,” she said. Keysha Evans, Connecticut’s 2025 Paraeducator of the Year, spent the day volunteering in Hamden at a phone bank coordinated by FaithActs for Education, calling voters to get them to the polls. The group advocates for education equity in Connecticut, working with religious and other community groups in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. By 6:00 p.m., Evans had made over 300 calls. Credit: Erica E. Phillips / CT Mirror Tuesday marked Ken Whiting’s first time voting. The Milford resident has avoided it for years because he disagrees with the structure of elections. He thinks voters should have a say after candidates have had a little time in office, not just at the start of a term. “It’s a job, right?” he said outside the Milford City Parsons Government Center. “You should have to prove yourself.” This year, everyone he knows was talking about the election so much that he caved in and voted. He still disagrees with the system. He voted for Trump, he said, because he thinks he’s down-to-earth and an anti-establishment candidate. Trumbull residents stopped to express their support for Mastri’s presence outside Daniels Farm Elementary School. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror Albert Mastri of Trumbull parked his RV outside the Daniels Farm Elementary School polling location late Tuesday afternoon. He hung a Trump 2024 flag that covered the side of the RV and shouted through a bullhorn that passersby should cast their votes for the former president. “Give the white man another chance,” he said into the bullhorn. Although his mother moved to the United States from Italy, he thinks there are too many immigrants coming into the country. He says he thinks the country is spending too much on services for immigrants. During the last election cycle, he took the RV out and stood on the roof with the bullhorn and a Trump mask. This year, he’s taking it easy because he recently had an operation, he said. Several people came over to talk with Mastri or take selfies with the flag. Some pulled over because they saw it from the road. “How could it be close?” one woman asked about the election results, approaching Mastri after she’d voted. “Hopefully, it’s a landslide so they can’t cheat,” he replied. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud following the 2020 election. Amanda Milewski voted with her son Zion in New Britain on Tuesday. Credit: Laura Tillman / CT Mirror At Chamberlain Elementary School in New Britain, Yadira Maldonado had been outside advocating for candidate Bobby Sanchez for state representative since 7am. Maldonado said it had been a busy day at the polling place. “Social media has helped things a lot, because it’s reaching out to people that before didn’t vote. There was not that information out there, how easy that it is now.” Amanda Milewski came to the polling place with her son, Zion. Milewski said that she voted for Trump, largely based on concerns about the economy. “With things being a lot cheaper years ago, and being a single mom, it matters a lot to me. I want things to get lower and the economy to get back to where it should be.” Heaven Rodriguez voted with her mother Melissa Melendez on Tuesday in New Britain. Credit: Laura Tillman / CT Mirror Melissa Melendez visited the polling place with her daughter, Heaven Rodriguez, and said the voting process was smooth and easy. The mother and daughter both voted for Kamala Harris and said that the chance to vote for a woman for president mattered to them. “I don’t like Trump. He’s an idiot,” Melendez said, but added she’s not entirely happy with Harris either. “There are things he may make sound interesting, and correct, and on point. And there are things that she may make where it’s like ugh, no, I’m against that. But he has more negatives than positives.” Doug and Terry Sutherland started campaigning for Harris at the Daniels Farm Elementary School polling location in Trumbull at around noon Tuesday. They said they planned to stay at least two hours or until someone came to relieve them. Doug Sutherland said he likes Harris’ plan on housing and thinks she can fix the problems with the immigration system. Doug and Terry Sutherland started campaigning for Harris at the Daniels Farm Elementary School polling location in Trumbull at around noon Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Credit: Ginny Monk / CT Mirror “We’re passing the torch to a new generation of hopeful people, not hateful people,” he said. In Branford, where about half of registered voters had voted early, things were quiet. Nkenge Haines, who has lived in Branford for 7 years and works at Yale, said she voted for Harris. “I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I didn’t vote,” she said. Nkenge Haines of Branford said she voted for Kamala Harris. Credit: Jan Ellen Spiegel / CT Mirror John Galalee, a 40-year Branford resident and child psychiatrist, said he didn’t vote for U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, because of her support for the expansion of Tweed Airport. Asked if the results of the election will change the divisiveness in the country, Galalee was skeptical. “Whoever wins, there’s no immediate end,” he said. “Perhaps, if Harris wins, the end will be sooner than it would be if Trump wins. Certainly, if Trump loses, there’s no end for him. … He’s not going to admit that he lost.” “But I have some optimism that our system will sort that out.” Late afternoon at Momauguin Elementary School in the Cosey Beach section of East Haven saw a steady stream of voters, which officials said had been the case all day. They said the area had about a 35% early voter turnout. Voters the CT Mirror spoke with were largely supporting Trump — a few MAGA hats could be seen, and one woman arriving in a golf cart with fluttering Trump and American flags was wearing a pink “Women for Trump” T-shirt. But the only campaign sign at the 75-foot perimeter was for Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, who turned up to shake hands as she made her rounds of the district. East Haven is its western edge. One such voter was Roberta Curcio, a retired legal secretary who has lived in East Haven for seven years.  “I’m very grateful,” Curcio said, when asked if he was looking forward to the election ending. “I’m so tired of watching TV ads and hearing it. I think it’s going to be very close, and hope Trump wins. I chose Trump because I think the Harris ticket is running on false advertisements for the past eight months.” Another voter, Janica DePino, declined to say whom she was supporting but said she believes it will be a close election, adding that she hopes the end of the election will help curb divisiveness. “I think it’s just people’s opinions on each other and all the harsh things people are saying about each other, I think that’s what’s making it hard.” [Got questions about today’s election? Check out CT Mirror’s 2024 voter guide here] What’s at stake The presidency, a U.S. Senate seat, all five congressional seats, all 187 seats of the General Assembly and a constitutional amendment allowing the universal use of absentee ballots are on the ballot in Connecticut. No Republican has won the state in a presidential race since 1988, and Trump lost by double digits here both times. Democrats hold both U.S. Senate seats, all five congressional seats and enjoy overwhelming majorities of 98-53 in the state House of Representatives and 24-12 in the state Senate. Four of the 12 GOP senators won with less than 51% of the vote two years ago, as did one Democrat. About 14 House seats are in play, split evenly among Democrats and Republicans. Democrats and Republicans had a similar forecast: The best-case for Republicans likely was a net gain of two House seats; the ceiling for Democratic gains was higher, ranging from four to six. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is seeking his third term, facing Republican Matt Corey in a rematch of the 2018 race that Murphy won by 20 percentage points. Two of the state Senate races to watch are in Fairfield County, once a Republican stronghold. Both involve Republican incumbents being challenged by former aides to Gov. Ned Lamont. Sen. Ryan Fazio, R-Greenwich, clawed back the 36th District seat of Greenwich and portions of Stamford and New Canaan in a special election in 2021 and held it in 2022, each time with just 50.1% of the vote. He is opposed by Nick Simmons, who opted out of the voluntary public financing program to spend heavily on the race. Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, who was reelected to his fifth term in the 28th District of Bethel, Easton, Fairfield, Newtown and Weston with 50.69% of the vote, is opposed by Rob Blanchard. The others targeted by Democrats are:  Sen. Lisa Seminara, R- Avon, in the sprawling 8th District of Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury and Torrington. She faces a rematch with Paul Honig, whom she defeated with 50.1% of the vote in 2022. Sen. Jeff Gordon, R-Woodstock, who won his first term in the 35th District with 50.56% of the vote. He faces Merry C. Garrett. The Democrat with the closest race two years ago was Sen. Mae Flexer, R-Windham, who won with 50.56% percent. But Flexer runs stronger in presidential years, helped by the turnout of students at the University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University. She is opposed by Chris Reddy. Election officials here and nationally have taken unusual care to outline the mechanics of counting votes, anticipating a repeat of Trump’s false claims four years ago that votes not counted by midnight should be invalid. As is the case with the vast majority of polling places throughout the U.S., every voting district in Connecticut uses paper ballots.  They are counted by tabulators that use optical scanning. Local registrars — and Connecticut’s elections are run the state’s 169 municipalities —must enter initial tabulator results into the state’s Election Management System by midnight. Officials have until Friday to make corrections or decide if recounts are necessary. Final results are to be filed with the secretary of the state’s office no later than next Tuesday, Nov. 12. The heavy use of early in-person and absentee voting could delay the posting of results election night. Those ballots are cast in envelopes that cannot be opened and tabulated until today — no sooner than 8 a.m. for early voting ballots and 10 a.m. for absentees. The secretary of the state’s office reported Monday that 850,601 votes had been cast: 741,895 during the two weeks of early in-person voting that ended Sunday at 6 p.m. and another 108,706 by absentee. Those equate to an early turnout of 33%: 29.2% by early voting and 4.3% by absentee. In Burlington, a small town at the western edge of Hartford County, more than half of its 7,645 voters had voted early. A dozen other towns had similar turnouts. Absentee ballots can be cast up to the close of polling at 8 p.m. Mailed in ballots that arrive after the close will not be counted. CT Mirror staff writers Ginny Monk, Jessika Harkay, Keith Phaneuf, Laura Tillman and Jan Ellen Spiegel contributed to this report.