Republican candidates were on the town green before and during the early part of Sunday’s Concert on the Green to meet constituents and answer questions. Present were U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th); Toni Boucher (R-143), candidate for the state Senate’s 26th District; Melanie O’Brien, challenger for the state’s 2nd District seat; and John Stripp (R-135), who is seeking re-election.
(Janis Gibson /Redding Pilot photo)
Redding Pilot
by Janis Gibson
Three Republicans running for state office — Toni Boucher, Melanie O’Brien and John Stripp — were on the town green Sunday, Aug. 24, for a meet and greet in the hour before the season’s final Concert on the Green.
They were joined for part of the time by U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays of the 4th District.
As people gathered for the concert, Mr. Shays worked the crowd, talking especially to young people. “I like to talk to kids and to encourage them to become involved in their communities,” he said. “It makes them feel empowered, plus they can often influence their parents’ vote.”
Mr. Shays, who has served his district since 1987, is being challenged by Greenwich businessman Jim Himes. He recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan....
by Ricardo Valenzuela
...Of 19 House Republican incumbents in competitive races, at least six plan to skip the convention, including Chris Shays of Connecticut ...
...In Connecticut, incumbent Shays is running ads saying he offers the best of both worlds: the change offered by Obama and the experience of McCain.
``It's an absolutely genius strategy in this kind of a daunting political environment for Republicans,'' Wasserman said.
Greenwich Time, CT
By Debra Friedman
Young or old, red or blue, these volunteers wanted every beachgoer to make sure they were eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The voter registration drive was organized by Old Greenwich for Obama, but all volunteers stressed their commitment to keeping things bi-partisan.
"We try to keep our views to ourselves," said Margaret Robben, the main organizer of the event.
"It's not about which party you are for, or which candidate, it's about just getting people to vote," said fellow volunteer Pam Sloane.
An hour into the drive, Robben said they had already registered 25 new voters and hoped to keep the numbers coming as the day went on.
"I've averaged about 10 to 15 people a week at the various places I've been going," said Robben, who has organized 11 registration drives so far this month alone.
Will Drennen, of Greenwich, who was wearing a ninja mask for a youtube.com video spoof he was filming with some friends, stopped by to sign up. Drennen turns 18 in September and said the economy was the issue he felt the most strongly about.
"That's probably the issue I am the most educated on," Drennen said.
A member of the Greenwich beach crew, James Olser, said he did not register for the last presidential election, but planned to this time because he felt it was of .....
Voting audit hits town
Greenwich Time
By Neil Vigdor
The dreaded "A" word, as in audit, has reared its head once again at the Greenwich registrars of voters office. Four of the town's 12 voting districts have randomly been chosen by the state for a mandatory audit of the results of the Aug. 12 Democratic congressional primary won in a landslide by Jim Himes over Lee Whitnum.
Four poll workers will hand count the ballots during the audit, which will start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Cone Room at Town Hall and is open to the public.
A less-than-enthusiastic Democratic Registrar Sharon Vecchiolla said the audit will cost the town more time and money, an amount that has not been determined.
"If it has to be done, it's got to be done," Vecchiolla said.
Under Connecticut law, election results from 10 percent of all voting precincts in the state must be audited after elections, a mandate that was put in place in 2007 when mechanical lever machines were replaced with electronic scanners. The fax-like machines read blackened ovals on paper ballots that resemble standardized test answer sheets.
State election officials are taking the mandate one step further, however.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has ordered an audit of the election results from one-third or 82 statewide polling locations used in federal, state and local primaries on Aug. 12.
The University of Connecticut, which tabulates the audit results for the state, recommended a greater sampling of polling locations because fewer votes were ...
================================================
Please send your comments, election news and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
