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Registrar: early‑voting space at university bookstore will cost the town; state funds may cover it
Summary
Town elections staff told council the UConn bookstore is now charging for space used for early voting; the registrar estimated roughly $3,350 and asked to authorize up to $4,000 for the August primary, while the finance director said state funds may pay the bill.
Elections staff told the council that a change at the university’s Barnes & Noble bookstore (referred to in the packet as "Yukon Bookstore") means Mansfield must pay for the space to offer on‑campus early voting this summer. The registrar’s office estimated the primary‑period cost at about $3,350, of which roughly $2,600 is for security and the remainder is overtime for bookstore staff. "It rounds out to be $3,300 total, $2,600 of which is for security," an elections official said.
Councilors discussed legal requirements, logistics and alternatives. The town’s elections staff said the state is reviewing statutory language to ensure campuses do not have to charge towns in the future; the primary was described in the discussion as occurring on Aug. 11 with early voting the week before (roughly Aug. 3–10). Finance Director Amanda Backus told the council, "We have money from the state of Connecticut that will cover this expense," indicating that a registrar budget increase might not be necessary for this primary. Staff said they were actively negotiating with the bookstore and exploring other campus spaces and technical wiring/security options for voting machines.
The council added the elections funding question to new business for discussion; members agreed to continue staff‑to‑staff talks and revisit the matter for the November election, when longer early‑voting windows could change space needs. The council did not adopt a formal budget transfer at the meeting after Backus said state funds were available.
