Voting is today (February 26, 2019) in the special election for the State Senator who will represent New Britain, Berlin and part of Farmington.
The election is between Democratic State Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24) and Republican city Corporation Counsel Gennaro Bizzarro.
The election is the first chance for voters to weigh in after the recent scandal in which former Republican Mayor Timothy Stewart’s misogynistic words about female members of Congress renewed a scandal from 2017 in which he made a comment that was widely criticized as racist. In 2017, it was Bizzarro, who is chair of the board of the Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce and also works for Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, who announced that the elder Stewart would remain as Chamber President, despite public outrage.
As the first election after Democrats regained control of the United States House of Representatives, the special election will also be viewed chance for the voters to weigh in on whether they agree with Democrats or Republican President Donald Trump in debates on the federal budget, the border wall and other issues. With several special elections around the state today, votes received by Republican candidates will largely be seen as validation of Trump, and victories for Democrats as a rebuke to the Republican president and his party.
Voting districts, polling places and hours of voting
Voting in New Britain takes place at seventeen polling places in the city. New Britain has fifteen voting districts, but Voting District 5 has three polling places, including two located senior housing complexes.
Voting Districts in the February 26, 2019 Special Election
| Voting District | Polling Location | Address |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vance Village School | 183 Vance Street |
| 2 | VFW Post 511 Hall | 41 Veterans Drive |
| 3 | Roosevelt Middle School | 40 Goodwin Street |
| 4 | Gaffney School | 322 Slater Road |
| 5 | New Britain Senior Center | 55 Pearl Street |
| 5-1 | School Apartments | 50 Bassett Street |
| 5-2 | Graham Apartments | 107 Martin Luther King Drive |
| 6 | Angelico's Restaurant | 542 East Main Street |
| 7 | Generale Ameglio | 13 Beaver Street |
| 8 | International Church | 40 Acorn Street |
| 9 | Chamberlain School | 120 Newington Avenue |
| 10 | Saint Francis Church Hall | 1755 Stanley Street |
| 11 | Holmes School | 2150 Stanley Street |
| 12 | Pulaski Middle School | 757 Farmington Avenue |
| 13 | St. John Paul II School | 221 Farmington Avenue |
| 14 | DiLoreto School | 732 Slater Road |
| 15 | Slade Middle School | 183 Steele Street |
Registering to vote on election day
People who are not registered to vote still have the opportunity to vote, thanks to Connecticut’s election day voter registration process.
The Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State says,
You may register and vote in person on Election Day if you meet the eligibility requirements for voting in this state and you are not already registered, OR you are registered in one town and want to change your registration because you currently reside in another town. Election Day Registration is not available at your polling place. Contact your local registrar of voter’s office for information about your town’s designated EDR location and ID requirements. You will need to provide proof of identity and residency.
New Britain’s location for election day voter registration is at City Hall, 27 West Main Street, on the first floor, in Room 108.
Read more: Registering to Vote on Election Day.
The polls close at 8:00pm.
Editor’s note: Polling locations reported in this article are as they appeared on the city website as of February 23, 2019.
