Community Corner

(Updated: 3:41 p.m.) Election Day 2012: Youth Get Involved, Mid-Day at 50 Percent Turnout

Where to vote, the list of candidates, and how the town voted in past elections. Check back mid-day for updates from the polling stations.

(Updated: 3:41 p.m.)
Nearly 50 percent of the town has voted, according to the latest statistics from the Southington Registrar of Voters – and if a few children in the community had their way, that figure would be even higher.

Kennedy Middle School sixth-grade student Seth Bogoslofski called the chance to join his mother, Tammi, at the poll Tuesday “a great learning experience” and said he is looking forward to someday getting involved in the voting process himself.

“We did our own mock voting in school, but it’s really interesting to see how the process works on a more national level,” he said.

If he had the opportunity to vote, Seth Bogoslofski said he already knew which way he would lean and it wouldn’t involve picking from any particular party. He said he’s talked with his teachers, his parents and others in the community and would have gone with Barack Obama for president, Linda McMahon for U.S. Senate and John “Corky” Mazurek as his state senator for the 16th district.

Races in Southington remain tight, officials said, and numbers were not immediately available.

The voter turnout has been steady this year, Democratic Registrar of Voters Ed Malczyk said, with 47.64 percent of registered voters heading to the polls by 3 p.m. Tuesday. The figures are about 4 percent behind 2008 numbers, when the town saw a turnout just below 80 percent.

“We started a little over four percent, were actually ahead by 0.5 percent just before the lunch rush and have fallen behind again,” Malczyk said. “It’s hard to say just where we will end up.”

(Updated: 11:52 a.m.)

Some voters are keeping their cards close to the chest, but those who have shared who they are voting for on Tuesday indicated more favoritism toward Barack Obama while not necessarily voting the party line.

Two residents expressed support for Mitt Romney and State Sen. Joseph Markley, both Republicans, as they entered the polls at the Plantsville Elementary School, but Plantsville resident Ronald O’Dett was quick to point out what he believed was a flaw in there vote.

“I always vote Democrat and this election is no exception,” O’Dett said. “To me, that’s the party that represents the working people. They are going to take your taxes, but the Democrats will give it to those who have less than me, not those who are already rich.”

The stream of residents has been steady at locations throughout town, with some reporting busier periods in 2012 around 10:30 a.m. than during the previous presidential election.

Paul Mazurek, who was campaigning with his father and candidate for the 16th State Senate District, John “Corky” Mazurek, at Kennedy Middle School in Plantsville, said he’s not seen a stream this steady before, even during presidential elections.

“Usually, this is the time of day where we joke that we should be playing Parcheesi,” Paul Mazurek said. “Not this year, it’s been constant.”

At Plantsville, moderator Audrey Zack reported similar turnout, saying that there was a line at 6 a.m. and although there hasn’t been a wait since then, there haven’t been any empty machines during the day either.

“Plantsville isn’t usually a terribly busy place, but we are ready and our staff is prepared to help people come and vote quickly and be able to let their voice be heard,” Zack said. “We are prepared should anything happen – there is an extra voting machine waiting in case there is an issue.”

(Update: 9:56 a.m.)
It seems negative campaigning wasn’t enough to completely deter voters, but it may have played a role in lowering the number of early voters in 2012.

Ed Malczyk, Democratic Registrar of Voters in Southington, said early figures showed an 18.96 percent turnout during the first three hours of the day. The figures are down from the 2008 presidential election, where 23.87 percent of registered voters took to the polls by 9 a.m.

There was a 79.41 percent turnout in 2008.

For more figures, see the charts below.

For the most part, the morning has gone without a hitch although it has been busy, but officials said there was an issue with one of the voting machines at the South End School.

Staff with the Southington Registrar of Voters office said that the high pace might have caused a jam in one of the voting machines, but that the issue was addressed in a timely manner and would not affect results or require hand-counted ballots.

“The Registrar was notified of the issue and we were able to get out there and fix it quickly,” one staff member said.

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Original Story
Good morning, and welcome to Election Day 2012!

Today, Southington residents go to the polls to choose a president, a U.S. Senator, a U.S. Representative from the First District, a state senator from the 16th District and state representatives from the 80th, 81st and 103rd districts.

Voters will also be asked to vote on an $11 million referendum designed to allow the community to begin addressing road repairs as part of a 10-year plan. For more on the referendum below and click the link above.

See below for information on where to go to cast your ballot and the list of candidates. We've also included how Southington voted in 2008, the year of the last presidential election, and in 2010, the last mid-term election.

Read it over, then visit your local polling station between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. to make your voice heard! And be sure to check back with Patch for updates throughout the day, including the announcement of the winners as soon as votes are tallied.

Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Southington Polling Stations

  • South End School (District 1), Maxwell Noble Drive in Plantsville
  • Kennedy Middle School (District 2), 1071 S. Main St. in Plantsville
  • Derynoski Elementary School (District 3), 240 Main St. in Southington
  • Hatton Elementary School (District 4), 50 Spring Lake Road in Southington
  • Flanders Elementary School (District 5), 100 Victoria Drive in Southington
  • DePaolo Middle School (District 6), 385 Pleasant St. in Southington
  • Kelley Elementary School (District 8), 501 Ridgewood Road in Southington
  • Thalberg Elementary (District 9), 145 Dunham St. in Southington
  • Tabernacle Church (District 10), 1445 West St. in Southington
  • Plantsville Elementary School (District 11), 70 Church St. in Plantsville
  • Strong Elementary School (District 12), 820 Marion Ave. in Plantsville

Southington Roads Referendum

The Refereundum question on the ballot reads as follows:

“Shall the Town of Southington appropriate $11,000,000 for design and construction of various roads and bridge improvements, and authorize the issue of bonds and notes not to exceed $11,000,000 to finance the Appropriation?”

Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For a detailed list of roads, click the link provided.

How Southington Voted in 2008 (79.41% Turnout)

(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman)
*Editor's Note: The following results are SOUTHINGTON totals only. Many districts crossed over town lines.

PRESIDENT

  • Obama-Biden (D) — 12,066 votes
  • McCain-Palin (R) — 9,845 votes
  • Nader-Gonzalez (I) — 309 votes
  • Baldwin-Castle (Write-In) — 9 votes
  • Calero-Kennedy (Write-In) — 1 vote

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FIRST DISTRICT

  • John Larson (D) — 12,557 votes
  • Joe Visconti (R) — 7,105 votes
  • Stephen E.D. Fournier (G) — 453 votes
  • Matthew Coleman (Write-In) — 1 vote

16th SENATE DISTRICT

  • Sam S.F. Caliuguri (R) — 12,079 votes
  • Mark Orsini (I) — 3,821 votes

30th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Joseph Aresimowicz (D) — 4,387 votes
    Aresimowicz ran unopposed.

80th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • John "Corky" Mazurek (D) — 2,620 votes
  • James F. Farrell (Concerned Citizens) — 444 votes
  • Samuel Zotto (Petitioning) — 103 votes

81st ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Bruce "Zeke" Zalaski (D) — 7,155 votes
  • Dan Banici (R) — 3,290 votes
  • Timothy A. Knibbs (Concerned Citizens) — 323 votes

How Southington Voted in 2010 (59.93% Turnout)

(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman; SA=Socialist Action)
*Editor's Note: The following results are SOUTHINGTON totals only. Many districts crossed over town lines.

U.S. SENATE

  • Richard Blumenthal (D) — 8,394 votes
  • Linda McMahon (R) — 7,978 votes
  • Warren Mosler (I) — 181 votes
  • John Mertens (CL) — 94 votes

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, XXX DISTRICT

  • John Larson (D) — 8,365 votes
  • Ann Brickley (R) — 7,596 votes
  • Kenneth Krayeske(G)  — 148 votes
  • Christopher Hutchison (SA) — 52 votes

16th SENATE DISTRICT

  • Joseph Markley (R) — 8,209 votes
  • John Barry (D) — 7,781 votes
  • Carmine Capobianco — 261 votes

30th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Joseph Aresimowicz (D) — 2,512 votes
  • Jim Sargent (R) — 2,182 votes

80th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Rob Sampson (R) — 1,387 votes
  • John "Corky" Mazurek (D) — 1,533 votes

81st ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Bruce "Zeke" Zalaski (D) — 4,891 votes
  • Rusty Haigh (R) — 3,627 votes

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