Registrars warn delayed Total Vote rollout and a proposed law could strain local election operations

Carrie Rowland and Deborah Fellebaum, Milford’s registrars of voters, told aldermen the office is lean relative to the work they perform and detailed three immediate concerns: delayed implementation of the state’s Total Vote voter-registration system, uncertainty about how absentee/no-excuse absentee changes will affect ballot demand, and a legislative proposal (House Bill 5001) that would require delivering absentee ballots to a central counting location at 7 a.m.

Rowland said the Total Vote transition has been pushed back multiple times — from December to February to a new December target — and that the GIS mapping/data-conversion issues require caution to avoid losing or improperly transferring voter records. "I don't want to lose voters. I don't want to gain voters," she said. The registrars also noted uncertainty about how no-excuse absentee changes will alter the share of early-voting, polling-location and absentee turnout, complicating ballot-ordering and staffing decisions.

On House Bill 5001, Rowland said requiring registrars to be in a central counting location at 7 a.m. would create a serious logistical conflict with poll-opening responsibilities and could raise staffing costs because central-counting workers typically arrive later in the morning.

Why it matters: Changes to state election rules and delays in software rollout affect municipal administration, chain-of-custody procedures, training and the cost of conducting elections. Aldermen asked how long-term costs and workflow changes might look; registrars said they will keep the board informed and asked for state-level financial support if the new processes are mandated.