4th District Congressman Christopher Shays defeated in the "tsunami" of 2008 by Jim Himes of Greenwich. State Rep John Stripp and Senator John McKinney (not shown) joined by new State Senator Toni Boucher!

Read LWVUS letter on "transparency"
Thursday, September 25, 2008 at the White House, including in this photo (l. to r.) Republican candidate for President, House Minority leader, Speaker of the House,, President Bush, Senate Majority leader, Senate Minority leader, Democrat  candidate for President.  Bail-out package has now passed both houses of Congress (Friday, October 3, 2008).

ELECTION 2008 IN WESTON, CONNECTICUT & U.S.A.: 
New York TIMES link to streaming video of national debates - watch again here.

BALLOT QUESTIONS!  Results of election were "No" on #1 and "Yes" on #2
VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008, FROM 6A.M. TO 8P.M. AT THE WESTON MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM
For President and Vice President;  Congress;  State Senate and House;  Registrar of Voters;  two ballot questions.  LWVCT has a position on Constitutional Conventions, and has the following to say on the matter:
 
---------------------



 
The League of Women Voters of Connecticut urges you to vote "NO" on the calling of a Constitutional Convention. This question must appear on the ballot every 20 years. 
   
The League believes that our Connecticut Constitution, thoroughly reviewed and revised in 1965, works well as our state's basic framework of government. We do not need a convention to change the constitution. The legislative amendment process, with its public hearings, its televised sessions, and its system of checks-and-balances, has served our state well in developing sound constitutional proposals for specific issues.  In fact, the second question on this November's ballot relating to 17 year-olds voting in a primary if 18 by the general election is an example of a proposed change to the Constitution via this process of deliberation.
 
Special interest organizations are working to convince voters to vote "yes" to a Convention in order to pursue their hot-button issues like banning a woman's right to choose or gay marriage. These supporters wish to change the Constitution to enable direct initiative and referendum to become an accepted way of making laws and amending Connecticut's Constitution.  The League opposes initiative and referendum.  With initiative and referendum, it's too easy for well-funded special interests to sway public opinion on controversial issues. It took us decades to pass a law to provide a system of campaign finance to eliminate special interest money. Let's not let special interest money back into our system again! If voters are dissatisfied with the actions of the General Assembly, they should make their views known during the legislative process or elect new legislators.
 
 We can't think of any serious governance issue that justifies the time, expense and bluster of a Constitutional Convention. We urge you to Vote NO. 
 
For more info, go to:
http://www.lwvct.org/issues/resources/league_says_no_to_constitutional.htm
 
Jara Burnett, President
League of Women Voters of Connecticut 

Presidential ballots are available       
Weston FORUM
Monday, October 13, 2008

Presidential ballots for the Nov. 4 election are now available at the Weston town clerk’s office for unregistered residents.

Presidential ballots are only for residents of Weston or former residents who have moved within 30 days prior to the election to another location after the new location’s cutoff date; they are only for those who are not registered to vote.

The ballots only allow a vote for President and vice president.

The town clerk’s office will be open additional hours for absentee voting by non-registered residents.

Additional and extended hours are Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 to noon; Monday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 1, 9 to noon.

Applications for absentee presidential ballots are available from the town clerk or online at www.westonct.gov.

Call the town clerk’s office weekdays from 9 to 4:30 with questions regarding absentee ballots. Donna M. Anastasia, town clerk, may be reached at 222-2616, Ellen L. Jones, deputy town clerk, at 222-2617

CCSU: League Must Invite Minor-Party Candidates To Debate
By MARK PAZNIOKAS | Courant Staff Writer
September 27, 2008

Central Connecticut State University wants the League of Women Voters to either open its 5th Congressional District debate to minor-party candidates or move the event off its New Britain campus.

"The league is welcome to do what it wants, but CCSU cannot participate in the event nor serve as the venue if candidates are excluded from the debate," said Mark McLaughlin, a university spokesman.

The league's statewide office notified minor-party candidates this week that they were unwelcome at debates the group is sponsoring in the 2nd, 4th and 5th districts.

The decision prompted an outcry from candidates who qualified for the ballot, yet were deemed insufficiently competitive by the league.

[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Hartford COURANT website]
Minor Party Candidates Excluded From Congressional Debates
By MARK PAZNIOKAS | Courant Staff Writer
September 24, 2008
 
The only thing harder than getting on the ballot for G. Scott Deshefy of the Green Party is getting on the stage of the Garde Arts Center.

On Oct. 7, Deshefy will be the only ballot-certified 2nd Congressional District candidate absent from a televised debate at the Garde in New London.

The League of Women Voters notified all minor-party candidates this week that they are unwelcome at the league's debates in the 2nd, 4th and 5th congressional districts. The league has no debates scheduled for the 1st or 3rd districts.

In the league's view, none of the minor-party candidates met its criteria of broad voter and financial support and a sufficient effort at reaching out to voters.

"I would like to stress that we value the effort these candidates are making to put themselves forth," said Jara Burnett, the league's president. "It is not a repudiation of the their efforts by any stretch of the imagination."

Tell that to Deshefy.

[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Hartford COURANT website]
R E A D   L E T T E R S    F R O M     L W V U S    O N     " T R A N S P A R E N C Y "   H E R E
League of Women Voters of Connecticut on YouTube with creative and hip thought: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQSd05ryBkg
ELECTION CALENDAR 2008, 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
July 2008
7/22       Absentee ballots become available for primaries.

August 2008
8/7        Deadline for mail-in registration
8/11      Deadline for in person registration
8/12      Primary election

September 2008
9/10        Minor party candidates must file with SOTS.
9/24        LWV 4th Cong. Dist. candidates’ debate, Norwalk Community College

October 2008
10/3        Absentee ballots become available for general election.
10/5        LWV 4th Cong. Dist. candidates’ debate, Clune Performing Arts Ctr., Wilton HS
10/21      Deadline for mail-in registration.
10/28      Deadline for in-person registration.

November 2008
11/4        Election Day
4th district debate denied
Greenwich TIME
By Neil Vigdor, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 07/09/2008 02:30:48 AM EDT

The League of Women Voters of Connecticut has declined a request by congressional candidate Lee Whitnum to sponsor a debate prior to the Aug. 12 Democratic primary in Fourth District.

Jara Burnett, who is president of the statewide nonpartisan organization and a Greenwich resident, said yesterday that the league would have difficulty lining up a moderator and mustering its resources for a summertime debate.

"Frankly, for a lot of suburban people, many people do go away in August," Burnett said. "So we find ourselves with limited people to do the work. Our interest is in doing a very good job of it, and I just didn't have confidence that I could get the right people."

Whitnum, who qualified for the primary by collecting signatures from 2,459, or 2 percent, of the registered Democrats in the district, accepted the league's explanation.

"Don't make it look like a disrespect to me because it wasn't," Whitnum said. "They were very clear to me that they usually don't do primary debates."

Two years ago, however, the league sponsored a debate between Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. leading up to the Democratic primary in the governor's race.

Maura Keaney, the campaign manager for Himes, said the party's endorsee hasn't ruled out participating in debate.

[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Greenwich TIME website]


WEBSITE TO ELECTION PROCESS 2008: from George Washington University  - good links!

Federal Elections:  important dates...Presidential Primary was Tuesday, February 5th
http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2008pdates.pdf

 CT State Elections:
Elections Enforcement Commission:
http://www.ct.gov/seec/site/default.asp

 CT Secretary of the State:
http://www.sots.ct.gov/

 Run-up to the November Election in CT...
HOW DID THE NEW VOTING PROCESS AND MACHINES WORK?
Dates for the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee public hearings around the state (all start at 7:00 p.m.) on this subject:

February 11 -- Norwich City Council Chambers (2nd CD)
February 12 -- Norwalk City Council Chambers (4th CD)
February 21 -- West Hartford Council Chambers (1st CD)
February 25 -- Danbury City Council Chambers (5th CD)
February 27 -- East Haven Senior Center (3rd CD)

You are encouraged to attend and give your feedback and suggestions about the new voting machines in CT -- especially if you participated in the Stop, Look, and Listen Program or if you worked at the polls.  What did voters think?  Did they seem to like the idea of a paper record of their vote?  Was privacy a concern?  Was it easy for them to vote?

Weston Town Clerk will have absentee ballots for primary      
Weston FORUM
Thursday, July 03, 2008

Absentee ballots will be available at the Weston Town Clerk’s office beginning July 22 for the Democratic primary to be held Tuesday, Aug. 12.  Ballots may be picked up Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Monday, Aug. 11, the day before the primary.  Those able to vote in the primary are registered Democratic voters and any unaffiliated voter who changes to the Democratic Party (by mail by Aug. 7 or in person by Aug. 11) and any new Democratic voter.

To vote absentee:

Any qualified voter may vote absentee if unable to vote Aug. 12 in person due to:

•    Illness or physical disability

•    Absence from town during voting hours

•    Religious beliefs which forbid secular activity on the day of the Primary

•    Active U.S. military service

No one, including spouses, may handle another person’s unexecuted ballot. The only exception is an emergency absentee application and ballot; call the town clerk at 222-2616 for details.  Immediate family members may return executed absentee ballots with adequate identification. To request an application for an absentee ballot, go to the town clerk’s office in Weston Town Hall, 56 Norfield Road; request by mail, or download forms by going to www.westonct.gov. The town clerk’s office must receive original applications by Aug. 12 at 8 p.m.

[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Weston FORUM website]

Weston is served by two State Senators from...in dark grey, the 26th, just a small part of town, and most of Weston in the 28th (light grey).
C T    S T A T E    S E N A T E    C A N D I D A T E S:    # 2 6    &    # 2 8

Map courtesy of the present State Senator, Hon. Judith G. Freedman

CT SENATE 28TH DISTRICT
28 State Senate District League Debate
Monday, October 20, Fairfield Library Rotary Room, 7:30-9:00 PM
John McKinney (R)
Martin Goldberg (D)
Kiki Karpen, past president of LWVCT, moderator

CT SENATE 26TH DISTRICT - HON. JUDITH FREEDMAN NOT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION

26 State Senate District:
Antonietta (Toni) Boucher ( R)
John Hartwell (D)
Jean Rabinow, Administrator for LWVCT, moderator
Wednesday, October 29, Westport Town Hall Auditorium 7-9:00pm

Hon. Toni Boucher, R-143rd, of Wilton, running fir CT Senate 26th District, against John Hartwell of Westport.


Hon. John Stripp, R-135th, running for re-election (photo from 2004 "Meet the Candidates"); Green Party opponent, no League debate scheduled.


Stripp seeks ninth term in the House
by Kimberly Donnelly
Hersam Acorn Newspapers

Westonite John Stripp has represented the 135th District in the state legislature for 16 years. With the acceptance of his nomination at the district’s Republican convention last Thursday, he has agreed to run for a ninth term.

Mr. Stripp, at least at this point, is expected to have no Democratic challenger.
“I think I’m uniquely suited to serve because of my attitude as a problem-solver rather than a politician,” Mr. Stripp said earlier this week. “A well-balanced, well-managed government can mitigate most serious problems. That’s the piece of the pie where I feel I fit in.”

The 135th District includes Redding. After being nominated by Dan Gilbert of the Weston Republican Town Committee at the convention in Easton, Mr. Stripp was unanimously chosen as the Republicans’ choice.

The state representative, who is also vice president of commercial lending at Fairfield County Bank, said his decision to run again for office was not automatic by any means.

“I did a lot of thinking about whether to run... I got to the point where I asked myself, ‘What can I bring to table and do for the party if I run?’” What he realized, he said, is he brings quite a bit that’s worthwhile and is needed in today’s political landscape.

“We all want a free lunch, but we ultimately have to ask, ‘Who’s going to pay for it and how...’ I have a way of making things happen,” he said.
Mr. Stripp knows that “free lunches” are never really free, but there are certain things people expect and want their government to help provide: Reasonably priced heath care, public safety, low cost housing, retirement options, and lifelong educational opportunities.

[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Weston FORUM website]