Citing delays, Connecticut Democrats seek to extend voting hours

Connecticut Democrats are seeking a one-hour extension of voting hours after polling locations in Hartford were beset early Tuesday by problems including long delays and missing voter registration lists.

"Because of delays and other problems at Hartford polling locations, we [filed] a complaint in Hartford Superior Court asking that voting hours be extended to accommodate voters who were unable to vote or were discouraged from voting this morning," said Gov. Dan Malloy, D-Connecticut, in a statement.

Malloy's attorney, Bill Bloss, told Reporters on Tuesday that Democrats are asking for 26 polling locations in Hartford to remain open until 9 p.m. to make sure everyone can vote.

A hearing was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Hartford Civil Court.

At several locations in Hartford, election officials began the day at 6 a.m. without the voter registration lists necessary for people to cast a ballot. At some locations, the necessary lists did not appear until well after 7 a.m.

"A lot of people vote early in the morning because they know they are not going to be available after eight o'clock," Malloy noted at a news conference on Tuesday, according to the Hartford Courant. "That's the whole point. That's why we open polling places at 6 a.m."

Malloy is locked in a competitive gubernatorial race against Republican challenger Tom Foley, with a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday showing the incumbent narrowly ahead, 47 to 44 percent.

During an interview with WNPR, President Obama acknowledged the "frustrating" problems at several polling locations in Connecticut on Tuesday morning, but he urged voters to turn out regardless.

"I want to encourage everyone who is listening not to be deterred by what was obviously an inconvenience," he said.

State Republicans pushed back on concerns about disenfranchisement, though, suggesting Democrats may only be interested in tilting the election in their favor.

"There are still more than 12 hours for people to vote, so I don't see how there can be a claim that voters were disfranchised," Republican State Chairman Jerry Labriola said Tuesday morning, according to the Courant. "This would be an attempt to increase the polling hours and give Democrats more time for shenanigans."