[8:59 p.m.] Tuesday Election Updates

See our election wrap-up piece and election statistics .

Update 8:59 p.m. 

Dems: Kevin Scarpati (R) and Walt Shamock (W) have won the two City Council At-Large seats, ousting John Thorp (D). Board of Ed winners are: Mark Hughes (D), Rob Kosienski (R, D&W endorsed), John Lineen (D) and Pam Bahre (D).

Update 8:45 p.m.

Democrats are reporting incumbent Mayor Michael Rohde (D) and Area 3 City Councilor Brian Daniels (D) have both won. That would make a sweep of area seats. They are tabulating At-Large seats.

Update 8:32 p.m.

As results pour into Democratic headquarters at 5 Colony, Democrats are reporting that Steve Iovanna (D) won the Area 1 City Council seat over Al Pronovost (R, W-endorsed), Matthew Dominello (D) won the Area 2 City Council seat over Josh Broekstra (R) and Darnell Moss (W), and Cathy Battista (D) has beaten Liz Whitney (R) and Larry Kibner (W) for Area 4 City Councilor.

Update 8:13 p.m. 

As they wait for election results at their 5 Colony St. Headquarters, the thoughts of Meriden Democrats are with the family of town committee Chairwoman Millie Torres-Ferguson, who found out at 4 p.m. today that her father, Raymond Torres had died suddenly. 

Vice Chair Craig Hanson is now in charge in Torres-Ferguson's absence.

"As a party we're united," Hanson said. "Her family is in our thoughts and prayers."

Update 5:47 p.m. - Registrar: Despite Outages, It's Been a Pretty Normal Election

Despite a week of mass outages throughout Meriden that knocked out electricity to a number of the schools and churches the city uses as polling stations, Tuesday's election has been normal, said Republican Registrar of Voters Lillian Soboleski early Tuesday evening. The run-up though, was a bear.

"All of our precincts were up and running, we just proceeded as normal. The problem was we were sweating it out before the election – I didn’t sleep for two nights," Soboleski said. She spent the weekend hoping that CL&P promises that power would be restored to polling sites by Monday would prove true so that registrars could know whether they'd need to consolidate precincts to buildings with power.

"It would have made it terribly confusing for voters," she said. The only issues today, she said, have been a fax line that was briefly not working at one of the poll sites, that has since been fixed, and the usual questions from voters who showed up at the wrong precinct.

She doesn't anticipate any issues either. "We have millions of ballots," Soboleski said.

By 10:05 a.m. – the most recent figures available – about 15.8 percent of voters had hit the polls in Meriden, she said.

Update 4:35 p.m. - Low voter turnout means every vote truly counts

"I think if 1,200 people vote in area 1, it will be a lot," said Area 1 Democratic City Council Candidate Steve Iovanna, standing in front of Platt High School Tuesday afternoon. Passing cars honked at he and his brother Matt Iovanna, who were holding Democratic signs. 

The architect hoping to replace outgoing city councilor George McGoldrick (D), said he has been at polling stations in Area 1 throughout the day and that voter turnout had been low most places.

Just before 4 p.m., Platt’s Poll Moderator Sharon Kalonpka confirmed that only 217 residents had come in to vote during the day – out of about 1,600.

“I’m certainly shocked,” said Elizabeth Day-Summers, an assistant registrar at the poll site who said she has worked the precinct for 26 years. “This is usually a precinct that comes out and votes.”

Day-Summers and Kalonpka blamed the good weather – something that traditionally brings more voters out.

“I think it’s because it’s beautiful outside, and everyone’s been going through a difficult time they just want to enjoy it,” she said.

As for the prolonged power outages in Meriden last week, several voters on the West Side of town said they didn’t blame the city for outages, and it didn’t influence their votes.

“Maybe I wouldn’t vote for CL&P,” Meriden teacher Lorri Jimenez said. “But I don’t get to do that.” 

Only one voter said he’d voted a straight ticket – for the Democrats – but most said they’d split their tickets based on individual candidates.

Update 1:41 p.m. - Could last week's prolonged power outages cause a changing of the political guard?

The Area 3 polling station at Israel Putnam School was quiet at lunchtime Tuesday, but a steady stream of people have been coming in since polls opened at 6 a.m., according to poll worker Ramona Gonzalez.

As expected, fewer have shown up for this wholly municipal election – in which the highest office on the ticket is mayor, not president or governor. But the sunny, almost 70-degree day may have helped draw voters out of their homes.

By about 12:55 p.m., 205 people had voted at Putnam - about 15 percent of the area’s registered voters, according to Gonzalez.

Outside, Republican At-Large candidate Kevin Scarpati held a sign at the entrance to the school’s parking lot, receiving honks and waves from those passing by.

Scarpati will spend the day meeting and greeting voters at polling stations throughout the city, and had already been to Nathan Hale, Thomas Hooker schools and St. John’s church by about 12:45 p.m.

“The response has been positive,” Scarpati said. "I hope it’s enough votes to make a victory.” Scarpati said that at one of the previous poll stations, a voter walking in asked him what he thought of allowing a proposed auto auction into Meriden. "I'm dead-set against it," he reportedly said. "That's what we needed to hear," the voter said, according to Scarpati.

State Sen. Len Suzio (R-Meriden) and wife Kate pulled out of the lot after voting and stopped to cheer Scarpati on.

“It’s a great day. Hopefully it’ll mean a good turnout and some new city councilors,” Suzio said, referencing the overwhelmingly Democratic makeup of the council.

Walking out of the school after voting, Leigh Ayres also thought that there would be a changing of the guard based on the storm-related outages that left a majority of the city without power for about a week last week.

“It would be a concern for any politician that was in office for awhile  – whether they were responsible or not,” she said. “CL&P said towns didn’t cut trees back, towns said CL&P didn’t cut trees back. No matter how you slice it, it is not a good image.”  

She declined to say who she voted for, but said that after a week without power, her votes were swayed by the storm. She added that she was hoping leaders would focus on long-term planning, like ensuring trees aren’t planted under telephone wires.

Closer to the front of the school, John Daniels and Norman St. Arnauld held signs for the Democratic candidates Area 3 voters could choose, as they have for the last few elections. Daniels is the uncle of incumbent Area 3 City Councilor Brian Daniels (D) and St. Arnauld is a friend.

The two had been standing at the school since 6 a.m. and would be there until polls closed at 8 p.m. As they were standing, a large truck drove by with a sign for Republican Mayoral Candidate Walter Micowski playing rock music from a speaker at the top and a message from the candidate asking residents for their vote.

Both said turnout was slow but steady, and they were getting a positive response from those passing by. They didn't think the signs would necessarily change votes – "Hey this guy has a bigger sign!" John Daniels joked – but thought they made voters who had already made up their minds excited for their candidate.

John D., who declined to give his last name, said he completely split his ticket, voting for Michael Rohde (D) for mayor, John Thorp (D) and Kevin Scarpati (R) for At Large and Art Peitler (R) for Area 3 City Councilor. He voted based on candidate personality, he said, describing his choices as good guys, particularly Thorp, who he said, "listens to people."

Original Story - Meriden Voters Head to the Polls - And we're out with them!

It’s a municipal election year, which means voters will head to the polls to select their town councils, boards of selectmen, boards of education and other various boards and commissions. Some cities and towns will also be electing their chief executive officer today, either a mayor or first selectman, and other towns also have referendum questions on their ballots.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. To see Meriden’s sample ballot, click on the PDF file at the top of this page.

In Meriden, the polling places are: Chamberlain Highway Firehouse, 168 Chamberlain Highway; John Barry School, 124 Columbia St.; St. Rose Community Center, 34 Center St.; Washington Middle School, 1225 No. Broad St.; Nathan Hale School, 277 Atkins St. Ext.; New Life Church, 262 Bee St.; Thomas Hooker School, Overlook Road; St. John Lutheran Church, 520 Paddock Ave.; Maloney High School, 121 Gravel St.; Israel Putnam School, 161 Parker Ave.; Community Towers, 55 Willow St.; Casimir Pulaski School, 100 Clearview Ave.; Platt High School, 220 Coe Ave.; Immanuel Lutheran Church, 164 Hanover St., Hanover School, 208 Main St. Lincoln Middle School,164 Centennial Ave.