Norwalk league explains ins and outs of mayoral candidate petitions

NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk mayoral campaign workers are out and about, looking for signatures on petitions, and the League of Women Voters of Norwalk would like to share some tips with you about that.

Just in case you haven’t heard, none of the four Democratic mayoral candidates received a majority of votes at the July 16 Norwalk Democratic Town Committee endorsement convention. Each of them can be on the ballot for the Sept. 10 Democratic mayoral primary only by petition. Petitions began circulating on July 24, and each candidate must deliver 775 valid signatures to the Registrar of Voters by 4 p.m. Aug. 7.  Campaign workers will likely be knocking on doors to circulate these petitions.

One question many people ask is, “What if I’m not a registered Democrat? Can I vote in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary?”

The answer is no. Only registered voters of a given party can vote in that party’s primary.  However, if you are not registered to vote — or if you need to re-register because you have moved or changed your name (by marriage, for example) — you can register with Democratic Party affiliation and vote in the Democratic primary.  If you are currently registered without any party affiliation, you can re-register to declare Democratic party affiliation and vote in the Democratic primary.  But if you are currently registered with party affiliation other than Democrat (for example, if you are a registered Republican), you cannot change your party affiliation for the Sept. 10 primary because the deadline for doing so is past.

Here are the tips courtesy of the Norwalk League of Women Voters:

• If someone comes to your door asking you to sign a petition, you can ask to see ID. Democratic candidate petition signatures can be gathered only by registered Democrats who have been certified by the Democratic Registrar of Voters.

• To sign a Norwalk Democratic candidate petition, you must be registered to vote in Norwalk with Democratic party affiliation.

• In addition to your signature, you must write (legibly) your full name, date of birth and address (the address where you are registered to vote).

• Each person must sign for him or herself. You may not sign for your spouse or other family member, even if you have permission to do so.

• You can sign petitions for as many candidates as you wish.

• Signing a petition does not necessarily mean you’ll vote for that candidate. Signing only means you support having the candidate’s name on the ballot for the Sept. 10 primary.

• All petition signatures will be verified by the Registrar of Voters. Signatures that cannot be linked to a duly registered Norwalk Democratic voter will not be counted.

The League of Women Voters of Norwalk encourages every citizen to engage in the electoral process and vote.  For more information about candidate petitions, registering to vote, and elections, call the Norwalk Registrar of Voters at (203) 854-7996 or go here.