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Good morning, and welcome to Election Day 2012!
Today, Hamden residents go to the polls to choose a president, a U.S. Senator, a U.S. Representative from the 3rd Congressional District, state representatives for the 88th, 91st and 94th districts, and state Senators in the 11th and 17th districts.
See below for information on where to cast your ballot and the list of candidates. We've also included how Hamden voted in 2008, the year of the last presidential election, and 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 tonight.
State and National Races
U.S. Senate
Chris Murphy (D) and Linda McMahon (R) are vying for the seat vacated by Joe Lieberman. (Click on "U.S. Senate" for updates, results and reactions.)
Third Congressional District
Wayne Winsley (R) is trying to unseat incumbent Rosa DeLauro (D). (Click on "Third Congressional District" for updates, results and reactions.)
88th District
Brendan Sharkey, a Democrat, is running unopposed for his seventh term in the state House of Representatives and is set to become its Speaker of the House in January.
91st District
Democrat Michael D'Agostino, the current Hamden Board of Education chairman, is running unopposed for the seat left open by the retiring Rep. Peter Villano.
94th District
Democratic Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield also is running unopposed.
11th Senate District
Sen. Martin Looney, D-11, is running unopposed. He has served since 1993 and is the Senate Majority Leader.
17th Senate District
In the only race that has a challenger, Democratic Sen. Joseph Crisco is facing Republican former Derby Board of Alderman member Tony Szewczyk.
Probate Judge
Democrat Edward "Ned" Burt and Republican Matthew Corcoran are running for Judge of Probate for Hamden and Bethany, one of the few races where there are actually two candidates.
Still Not Sure Who You're Voting For?
Check out our Election Guide to see coverage of candidate debates, updates from the campaign trail, opeds, letters and more.
Hamden Polling Places
Polls open at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m.
- District One: Miller Library, 2901 Dixwell Ave.
- District Two: Helen St. School, 285 Helen St.
- District Three: Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine St.
- District Four: Spring Glen School, 1908 Whitney Ave.
- District Five: Board of Education Offices, 60 Putnam Ave.
- District Six: Ridge Hill School, 120 Carew Rd.
- District Seven: Dunbar Hill School, 315 Lane St.
- District Eight: 10 Kirk Rd.
- District Nine: West Woods School, 350 West Todd St.
- District Ten: Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Ave.
Not sure what district you're in? Click here to look up your district by street name.
Updated 5:50 p.m:
A voter coming out of Ridge Hill School said among her friends, more are voting this year than in any other year she can remember.
"It seems like everyone is disgusted," she said. "Some are for Romney, some are for Obama, but all are disgusted with the way things are going," she said. "It seems like no one is happy."
It isn't often that an incumbent loses reelection, but it does happen -- most recently in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton. The country then also was experiencing recession that had begun several years earlier.
Updated 5 p.m.:
After an afternoon lull, several of the 10 town polling places are reporting traffic is beginning to pick up and are bracing for the evening rush when it is expected many will leave work and stop off to vote.
"It's usually busiest early in the morning and later in the afternoon," one worker at the Keefe Community Center said. "Most people vote either before they go to work or after they get out. But we're ready for them."
Updated 3:30 p.m.:
All of the polls report brisk turnout. At Miller Library, the morning hours saw more than 100 voters voting an hour. Turnout was "ridiculously" high, one worker said.
Bear Path School was packed -- at one point, there was no where to park. West Woods School workers reported heavy turnout, and Hamden Middle School workers said there were 100 people waiting to vote at 6 a.m.
Updated Tuesday 12 p.m:
Hamden has 34,260 registered voters -- 16,492 Democrats, 4,157 Republicans, 13,349 Unaffiliated and 262 others. Of those, 2,107 registered last month.
How Hamden Voted in 2008 (80.74% Turnout)
(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman; WI=Write In; PC=Petitioning Candidate)
PRESIDENT
- Obama-Biden (D) — 19,960 votes
- McCain-Palin (R) — 8,531 votes
- Nader and Gonzalez — 271 votes
- Baldwin-Castle (WI)— 8 votes
- McKinney and Clemente (WI) — 2 votes
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 3rd DISTRICT
- Rosa DeLauro (D) — 19,342 votes
- Bo Itshaky (R) — 4,422 votes
- Ralph A. Ferrucci (G) — 790 votes
- Rosa L. DeLauro (WF) — 2,134 votes
11th SENATE DISTRICT
- (no candidate) (R) — 0 votes
- Martin Looney (D) — 12,311 votes
17th SENATE DISTRICT
- Joseph Crisco (D) — 6,850 votes
- Tamath K. Rossi (R) — 1,870 votes
- Joseph Crisco (WF) — 537 votes
88th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
- (no candidate) (R) — 0 votes
- Brendan Sharkey (D) — 5,906 votes
91st ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
- (no candidate) (R) — 0 votes
- Peter F. Villano (D) — 7,429 votes
- Peter F. Villano (WF) -- 651 votes
- David P. Aron (PC) -- 598 votes
94th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
- Was not part of Hamden at that time
How Hamden Voted in 2010 (61.09% Turnout)
(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman; SA=Socialist Action)
U.S. SENATE
- Richard Blumenthal (D) — 13,273 votes
- Linda McMahon (R) — 5,760 votes
- Richard Blumenthal (WF) — 669 votes
- Warren Mosler (I) — 130 votes
- John Mertens (CL) — 93 votes
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 3rd DISTRICT
- Rosa L DeLauro (D) — 13,738 votes
- Rosa L DeLauro (WF) — 653 votes
- Jerry Labriola, Jr. (R) — 5,075 votes
- Charles A Pillsbury (G) — 271 votes
11th SENATE DISTRICT
- Matthew J Corcoran (R) — 3,997 votes
- Martin M Looney (D) — 8,469 votes
- Martin M Looney (WF) -- 300 votes
17th SENATE DISTRICT
- Tamath K Rossi (R) — 1,591 votes
- Joe Crisco (D) — 4,626 votes
- Joe Crisco (WF) -- 227 votes
88th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
- Lesley DeNardis (R) — 2,834 votes
- Brendan Sharkey (D) — 4,027 votes
91st ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
- Rosalie Cavanaugh (R) — 1,415 votes
- Peter F. Villano (D) — 5,429 votes
96th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT (no longer includes Hamden)
- Roland J Lemar (WF) — 116 votes
- Roland J Lemar (D) — 2,469 votes
- (no candidate) (R) -- 0 votes
