Politics & Government

Absentee Ballots for Milford Casino Referendum Flowing into Town Hall

Only legally registered voters, who are also residents of Milford, can vote in the Nov. 19 Special Election.

About 75 people in the past week have submitted absentee ballots for the Nov. 19 special election in Milford, at a pace that the town clerk expects will increase as the casino referendum draws near.

People can fill out absentee ballots if they will not be in town on the election date, Nov. 19.

"I expect more," said Town Clerk Amy Hennessy Neves. "I'm treating this as a presidential."

People can vote on the single-question ballot at the Town Clerk's counter, or have the ballot mailed to their home. Although it asks one question, the ballot item includes a summary of the host community agreement between Foxwoods Massachusetts and Milford.

Turnout is expected to be high for the vote on the resort casino. By Friday, Milford had 17,255 people registered to vote for the election.

Voter registration will continue through Oct. 30. To register to vote, a person must be 18 by the date of the special election, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Milford, Hennessy Neves said.

She's had numerous calls over the past weeks, from people who live in other towns, asking "When can we vote?" "You can't," Hennessy Neves said she's responded.

Unlike a state election, in the casino referendum, only Milford residents can vote, but they have to be legally registered to vote in Milford, meaning being 18 years of age or older, and a U.S. citizen living in Milford.

And people who live in another town, and own property in Milford, cannot vote in the election. They have to be legal residents of Milford, she said, not just property owners. Anyone who registers to vote signs an affidavit that they live in Milford.


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