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10/31/2023 12:06 PMThe municipal election this year for Guilford will be dominated by the Democrat majority that currently swamps any other party vying for elected office. Only eight seats are being contested this year, none of which are Board of Selectman offices, and in an odd quirk, all candidates running will be elected regardless of the number of votes.
The Democrat ticket will run three candidates for the Board of Education (BOE): Kathleen Balestracci, Richard Hersh, and John DellaVentura, all of whom are incumbents. Incumbent Brian Wiley will run for reelection to the Board of Assessment Appeals, and two candidates will seek seat on the Board of Finance (BOF): incumbents Meghan Scanlon and current Chair, F. Michael Ayles.
The Guilford Independent Party will be running only two candidates: incumbent Robert Hartmann for Board of Finance and incumbent Kristen Peck for the BOE.
As voters can choose up to three candidates for the BOF and four candidates for BOE, barring any write-in upset, all of the candidates from both the Democrat and Independent parties are virtually assured of being elected on Tuesday, Nov. 7, regardless of votes received.
There are no Republican candidates on the ballot for any office in Guilford for this election. The Courier was able to confirm that there is still an active Republican Town Committee in Guilford; however, they chose not to run any candidates for this election cycle.
While the ballot is void of contested seats, election officials have alerted voters to a quirk in this year’s election. According to the registrar’s office, if a ballot is cast that does not have at least one candidate filled in for a specific office, that ballot will be automatically rejected by the voting machine. For example, if a voter chooses not to select a candidate for a given office, the machine will flag that as a possible error by a voter. Voters who choose not to cast a ballot for a specific seat can ask poll workers for help, and the staff can override that rejection and then ensure the valid ballot is accepted.
Election Day is Nov. 7, and polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. at all five polling stations. Voters are reminded to double-check their proper polling station address and to ensure they are registered to vote. Registered voters in District 1 cast ballots at the Calvin Leete School, 280 South Union Street; District 2 voters cast ballots at Abraham Baldwin Middle School, 68 Bullard Drive; District 3 voters cast ballots at the Guilford Fire Headquarters, 390 Church Street; District 4 voters cast ballots at Melissa Jones School, 181 Ledge Hill Road; District 5 voters cast ballots at the A.W. Cox School, 143 3 Mile Course.
Any questions regarding the election or voter registration can be directed to the Guilford Registrars of Voters at 203-453-8028 or to the Town Clerk’s Office at 203-453-8001.