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Election Day 2012: Voter Turnout in Canton Was 81 Percent

Election Day was off to busy start but voting slowed in evening.

Please see our story about the local races here and one on the referendum results here

Post poll closing update

When all was said and done Wednesday, 81 percent of Canton's registered voters came out to the polls Tuesday. 

A total of 5,718, or 81 percent of the 7,079 registered voters cast ballots. (The presidential race may have higher numbers due to a law that lets people register for that vote only on Election Day) 

Moderator Lorinda Pane said officials were surprised the number was not higher after the busy start Tuesday morning. 

"It's not as good as we hoped for," Pane said shortly after the polls closed. "It got slower in the last couple of hours." 

According to the Secretary of the State numbers Canton had an 84 percent turnout four years ago. 

See how Canton voted on the town Web site

Earlier story 

Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, 5,679, or roughly 80 percent, of Canton's 7,078 registered voters had cast ballots. 

Voting was off to a steady from 6 a.m. when the polls opened but slowed a little after noon. Shortly before 10 a.m. 1,796 had voted, approximately 25 percent of the 7,075 registered in town.

By 11:20 a.m. it was 35 percent with 2,508 casting votes. Poll workers said the lines had been steady since 6 a.m. 

At 1:30 p.m. it was 3,672, approximately 52 percent. At 4:30 p.m., it was 4,615, about 65 percent of those registered. 

The figures do include absentee ballots. 

That includes 2,158 Democrats, 2,106 Republicans, 2,744 unaffiliated and 67 other (Green, Independent, Working Families, Libertarian, etc.) 

Today, Canton voters will make their choose a president, a U.S. Senator, a U.S. Representative from the 5th District, a state Senator from the 8th District and a state Representative from the 17th District.

In addition, voters will decide whether the town should bond (essentially borrow money and pay back with interest for the following: 

On Nov. 6, voters can say yes or no to two proposals:

  • A $3.615 Million track, multi-use field and parking lot improvement project at Canton High School
  • $3.2 Million for partial roof replacements at the Community Center and all three schools ($2.3 Million after federal reimbursement) 

Documents related to the projects can be found on the town's web site.  

See below for information on where to go to cast your ballot and the list of candidates. We've also included how Canton 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.

Canton Polling Station

  • Canton Town Hall, 4 Market St., Collinsville

How Canton Voted in 2008 (84% Turnout)*

(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman)

PRESIDENT

  • Obama-Biden (D) — 3,412 votes
  • McCain-Palin (R) — 2,472 votes

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 5th DISTRICT

  • Chris Murphy (D) — 2,978 votes
  • David Cappiello (R) — 2,199 votes

8th SENATE DISTRICT

  • Arthur House (D) — 1,959 votes (125 Working Families votes) 
  • Kevin Witkos (R) — 3,599 votes 

17th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Brett Eisenlohr (D) — 2,017 votes (145 Working families)
  • Timothy LeGeyt (R) — 3,450 votes

How Canton Voted in 2010 (69% 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) — 2,170 votes
  • Linda McMahon (R) — 2,248 votes

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 5th DISTRICT

  • Chris Murphy (D) — 2,399 votes (Working Families 98)
  • Sam Caligiuri (R) — 2,007 votes (38 - I) 

8th SENATE DISTRICT

  • Donald O'Brien (D) — 1,195 votes (54 Working Families Votes) 
  • Kevin Witkos (R) — 3,292 votes

17th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

  • Chris Gaffney (D) — 1,329 votes
  • Timothy LeGeyt (R) — 3,195 votes

.......................................

*Results according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State's Office. 

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Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
officerthor May 24, 2013 at 01:36 pm
Actually, the company/person who developed the area took the risk and made a huge investment andRead More purchased it from the former owners who knew the intended use when they sold. I much prefer woods myself but blaming the current residents is off base. The fact is the residents of this single neighborhood comprise a considerable percentage of Canton's tax base. (you probably pay less taxes because of them) I don't live there but in my opinion they don't deserve to have what will sound like a construction site plopped in their back yards and be expected to pay 14K plus a year in taxes. You'll be voting on a proposed garage again and I suspect next time it will be at an appropriate site. TGS
Peter May 22, 2013 at 05:38 pm
I voted no - this thing is a joke. it's not a public facilty, it's a truck shed. you can buy steelRead More garage enclosures for $200K that will accomplish the exact same result.
Larry Litton May 22, 2013 at 10:49 am
Well said Mr. Franks! A new town garage is needed, but not at that price tag. The town leadershipRead More needs to offer a far better option to the voters than this. I am also voting NO...
Peter May 22, 2013 at 06:06 pm
you want facts.. go here: http://www.townofcantonct.org/content/74/14580.aspx and be prepared to beRead More violently mad! $47,500 for grub removal on the lawn $20,000 to cut down 2 trees (doesn't the town do that already?) $3,000 for a flag-less flag pole $4,000 break room counter $1,000 for a one urinal screen $5,000 for a toilet paper dispenser $10,000 locker for our few employees $500,000 for A/C so our trucks stay cool in the summer $16,000 for a hot water tank (sears has for $400) and many many many more scams
Peter May 22, 2013 at 05:41 pm
Another person claiming the people of Canton are not informed... but you offer no information, justRead More your opinion that we should blindly vote yes. No has yet been able to articulate the "why" and the "value"... what is the return on investment in this pet project? This garage is an absolute SCAM... it's someone's get-rich quick scheme and they will be walking away with $4M and we will be left with a $1.4M garage that isn't needed.
Wyatt May 22, 2013 at 05:13 pm
@Larry. Thanks for the reply. I don't know the details of these sites or why they weren't chosen butRead More I do have a few initial thoughts. First, one of the concerns of opponents of the Commerce Drive location is that the garage is a danger to nearby residents, children, bikers and seniors. Those concerns would still exist and would likely be worse in any of the 3 locations you mentioned. In other words, the same problems as the opponents raise now would remain. Second, River Road and Lawton Road are already designated for youth sports. Given the lack of flat land and the shortage of fields in Canton, I don't see how these fields would be replaced. Fields can be built at the River Rd and Lawton Road locations but not on Commerced River. As for the state-owned parcel, I think the state owns that as open space - not land for a town garage. Third, if the people on Lawton Road got so upset about the CVS, I could only imagine the uproar if the town garage is built there! Some don't even want the park! Fourth, I think there is some builout problems with lawton road regarding utilities which makes the site difficult to work with. (or so I read/was told) However, thank you again for the reply. the only real option besides commerce drive is River Road, but as I mentioned above, the opponent's concerns regarding safety would still exist and likely be even worse - right by the bike trail, kids in the area, near a major road, near homes. I don't think that site would satisfy them.
Peter May 22, 2013 at 06:06 pm
you want facts.. go here: http://www.townofcantonct.org/content/74/14580.aspx and be prepared to beRead More violently mad! $47,500 for grub removal on the lawn $20,000 to cut down 2 trees (doesn't the town do that already?) $3,000 for a flag-less flag pole $4,000 break room counter $1,000 for a one urinal screen $5,000 for a toilet paper dispenser $10,000 locker for our few employees $500,000 for A/C so our trucks stay cool in the summer $16,000 for a hot water tank (sears has for $400) and many many many more scams
Wyatt May 22, 2013 at 10:52 am
@Steve. Kudos! Nice to see some common sense and decency. The actions of "Citizens for aRead More Better Canton" have been shameful to say the least - attacking critics, distributing misleading information and attacking the good people who volunteer their time to make Canton a better place to live.
Steve Roberto May 21, 2013 at 04:05 pm
It makes me chuckle when someone spends weeks mudslinging, finger pointing, and pot shotting untilRead More the targets of their harassments speak up and then they decide the game is over, well sorry, I have only just begun. I was sickened by the behavior of certain people at the town meeting scheduled to discuss this garage project. Most of them where given a script to read using lies and incorrect numbers to attack members of town boards and commission. They attacked the intelligence, ethics, and integrity of members of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Permanent Municipal Building Committee and project consultants. You have even managed to involve our neighbors from Barkhamsted in your May 15 Patch submission, referring to them as “Hairshirt wearing radicals who don’t wash their cars”, again full of incorrect numbers and misinformation. I am attending a Board of Ethics Meeting tonight to defend myself from mud slung on me by those finger pointers trying to distract from the facts at hand. These very same people told this town that they wanted a football field and they wanted a pool. They said that the folks in Canton deserved these things. They understood that these things came with a price tag and they were ready to pay it. Funny how the song has changed now that we have changed our focus to a much less glamorous project. Perhaps if we were proposing a hockey rink or an equestrian team $5.4 million wouldn’t be so much.
Kevin Jackson May 22, 2013 at 09:39 pm
Sorry Wayne, the real reason was our elected "leaders" couldn't produce a clear case forRead More why we should vote yes and they were unwilling to allow anyone else to bring viable solutions to the table.
Peter May 22, 2013 at 06:03 pm
There is one BIG BIG thing missing from this entire six year long process. the need was neverRead More assessed, there is no return on investment, it's complete overkill and wasteful spending and no one challenged the outrageously over priced estimates. And this was not very public... all the key documents are pretty well hidden on Canton's site.. if you don't happen to get the secret hidden link then you won't get the facts. you want facts.. go here: http://www.townofcantonct.org/content/74/14580.aspx and be prepared to be violently mad! $47,500 for grub removal on the lawn $20,000 to cut down 2 trees (doesn't the town do that already?) $3,000 for a flag-less flag pole $4,000 break room counter $1,000 for a one urinal screen $5,000 for a toilet paper dispenser $10,000 locker for our few employees $500,000 for A/C so our trucks stay cool in the summer $16,000 for a hot water tank (sears has for $400) and many many many more scams
Solinsky EyeCare May 21, 2013 at 02:45 pm
We are located at 1013 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford. See you there!
Nancy May 20, 2013 at 09:32 am
Where are you located, Solinsky Eyecare?