Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz helped Detuan Vaughn register to vote Monday morning. One of Norwalks newest voters, Vaughn is also among the youngest. Bysiewicz came to town to publicize the opportunity for 17-year-olds to vote in next weeks primary election.
They can vote in the primary provided they will be 18 by the November election, said Bysiewicz.
The change reflects a state constitutional amendment that passed in 2008 with the approval of 66 percent of the votes, she said. States that have similar provisions have reported that voter participation is 10 percent higher when this opportunity is available. She also noted that about 10,000 Connecticut 17-year-olds are eligible to vote in the primary, a number significant enough to influence the election if they all vote.
Republican registrar of voters Karen Doyle Lyons said only voters registered with a party can vote in the Aug. 10 primary. Norwalk voters who are unaffiliated have until noon on Aug. 9 to change their registration status at the registrars office in City Hall, she said. Voter registration applications are available at the town clerks office or can be downloaded from the citys website.
Vaughn paused this morning as he filled out his application, apparently hesitating over the choice between registering as a Republican or a Democrat. So Bysiewicz suggested he consider whether he would vote for Romney and McCain or Obama and Clinton. Norwalk has one more registered Democrat.
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