Democratic Registered Voters to Choose Party Committee Members in Ward 1 and Ward 3 Tuesday

New Britain residents registered to vote as Democrats in Ward 1 and Ward 2 will have their say as to who will represent them on the New Britain Democratic Party’s governing Town Committee in the March 5th primary election this Tuesday.

The election is to be held only in Ward 1 and Ward 3, two of the city’s five wards. Only one slate of candidates qualified to run for the available seats in each of the other wards, Ward 2, Ward 4 and Ward 5. Therefore those candidates are deemed elected and no primary election will be held.

In Ward 1 and Ward 3, there are two separate slates each competing. Due to a quirk of state law, no candidates will appear on Row A of the ballots, so the two competing slates will appear on Row B and Row C.

Polls will be open from 6:00am to 8:00pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Voters will vote at their usual polling places, but only for Ward 1 and Ward 3.

Ward 1 and Ward 3

City Council members are elected, three each, from the city’s five Council districts, commonly called “wards.” The Democratic Town Committee primary election this year is the first since the New Britain Democratic Party decided to change its Town Committee elections from representing Democrats in each voting district, to elections held by Council Ward.

Ward 1 is generally in the West End and Willow Brook neighborhoods. The Mount Pleasant neighborhood, in a controversial decision by the recent Republican-controlled districting process, was moved from the center-city Ward 3 to the disproportionately white Ward 1.

Ward 3 includes parts of the Arch Street neighborhood, downtown, the North-Oak neighborhood and parts of the Broad Street neighborhood.

Ward 1 Democratic Town Committee Primary Elections

In Ward 1, there are twenty candidates competing for ten seats on the Democratic Town Committee. Voters may vote for up to ten candidates. Voters may vote for candidates on all one slate or a combination of candidates on each, and may vote for both candidates in the same column, as long as they vote for no more than ten candidates total.

Ward 3 Democratic Town Committee Primary Elections

In Ward 3, there are fourteen candidates competing for seven seats on the Democratic Town Committee. Voters may vote for up to seven candidates. Voters may vote for candidates on all one slate or a combination of candidates on each, and may vote for both candidates in the same column, as long as they vote for no more than seven candidates total.

Polling Places

Where a voter votes depends on which voting district they reside in, according to their voter registration. This can be found from the city’s Voting District Map and finding the voting district number on the list of voting places. The office of Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas also provides a website where voters can look up where they vote online.

Voting on the primary election day, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, is between 6:00am and 8:00pm.