Registrar warns federal proposals could increase local workload; Hartford to get new tabulators, asks council for training and maintenance support

Democratic Registrar of Voters Gisele Feliciano and Republican Registrar Michael McGarry briefed the Hartford City Council on the Office of the Registrar of Voters’ budget and a near‑term equipment upgrade that will change how the city conducts elections.

Felíciano said the office will implement new tabulators and a new election management system (ESS/ES&S) that the state is rolling out and that training and maintenance will be required. She warned that the presentation’s proposed budget does not include funding for any new federal or state mandates because the language and funding status are still unresolved: “If such legislation passes, compliances will be required, but no dedicated funding has been identified at this time,” Felíciano said.

Why it matters: Proposed federal measures and the president’s executive order discussed in the presentation — and the pending “Save Act” cited by staff — could require proof of U.S. citizenship to register or update voter records and would eliminate some current registration pathways, such as online and DMV‑based registration. If enacted without accompanying funding, those changes could increase work and costs at the local level.

Equipment, training and costs

The registrars showed photos of the new voter‑facing devices and the central count equipment and said the state holds the lease and that delivery will follow the lease execution. Felíciano said the state lease cost for the equipment is “a dollar” (the registrars described the state arrangement as highly favorable) but maintenance and consumable costs (batteries, encrypted USB media and per‑ballot printing) will be ongoing local expenses; the presentation included a FY2025–26 maintenance/equipment line of about $58,000.

The registrars said initial training from the Secretary of the State lasted eight hours in recent rollouts and that on‑site trainer days from the vendor could cost roughly $2,000 per day; registrars plan to use certified local moderators to expand training and to run public, hands‑on demonstrations when machines arrive.

Voter registration, canvas and operations

The office canvassed voters and mailed annual canvas cards; Felíciano said about 44 percent of mailed canvass cards have been returned so far this year. The registrars are also partnering with Hartford Vote Coalition and school outreach programs for youth registration. The office reported staffing is 100 percent Hartford residents and described planned moderator certification and election official training ahead of the coming election cycle.

Ballot drop boxes and legal uncertainty

Town Clerk and registrars are coordinating on a pilot for a video‑enabled ballot drop box that would record and log items deposited; Felíciano and the town clerk said they hope Hartford can pilot that technology pending state approval. The presentational materials noted ongoing litigation and rulemaking related to federal executive actions and state implementation; registrars emphasized uncertainty about whether funding will accompany any new mandates.

Ending

Registrars asked council members to expect follow‑up on training schedules and maintenance costs once the machines are delivered and the lease is executed. They requested the council’s patience and assistance if new mandates require local implementation without state or federal funding.