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Register in Hartford

Trinity students are considered Hartford Residents during their tenure at the College and therefore can register to vote in Hartford or back in their home states.

City of Hartford Registrar of Voters

How to Register

• INITIAL REGISTRATION

You can register online by going to https://voterregistration.ct.gov

You can also register in person at the City of Hartford’s Registrars of Voters office by filling out a voter registration form. These must be filled out, signed, and handed in or mailed to the Registrar’s office before the election. Voter registration cards are official legal documents and must be personally signed in ink.

Blank forms are available at both the Registrars’ and Town Clerk’s office at Hartford City Hall.

You may also download a registration form, complete it, sign it, and mail it to the Registrars’ office. Forms are also sent out by the Department of Motor Vehicles to persons renewing their driver’s license. Spanish language forms are also available.

When your application is accepted, the Registrars will send a notice confirming your address and informing you where you vote in the next general election.

• DEADLINES FOR NEW REGISTRATIONS

Primary Elections: If new registrants choose to apply by mail, the deadline for forms to be completed and mailed and either postmarked or received by the Registrar of Voters’ office or a voter registration agency is five days before a primary election. If a new registrant chooses to register in person, the registration must be completed by 12:00PM the day before the primary election at Hartford’s Registrar of Voter’s or Town Clerk’s office.
General Elections: The deadline is 14 days before a general election by mail, or seven days before in person. Your application must be postmarked or received by the Registrar of Voters’ office or a voter registration agency by the 14th day before a general election. You may apply in person at the Registrars’ office or at the Town Clerk’s office by the seventh day before a general election.

• I’M MOVING, CAN I STILL VOTE?

I’m Moving Out of Hartford
If you move out of Hartford, you lose your voting rights in Hartford, and you must register in your new town or state in order to vote there. When you register in your new Connecticut town, we get a notice via the statewide voter registration system. If you register to vote in another state we usually receive a notice from your new state. In addition, the Registrars’ office receives change of address information from the post office each year and from the Department of Motor Vehicles each month.

If you later return and re-establish a Hartford residence, you must register in Hartford again.

I’m Moving to Another Part of Hartford
If you move to a different address within Hartford you do not lose your Hartford voting rights. Prior to election day you should fill out a new registration card and check the address change box in order to be registered at your new address. However, if you have not done this, you may go to the polling place for your new residence on election day and fill out a new registration card. The election officials will check to see that you have not voted at your old address, and you will be given a ballot for your new address.

My Move Will Be Temporary
If your move was only temporary – such as for college or military service – you do not lose your voting rights in Hartford unless you register to vote somewhere else. In order to vote, you need to return to Hartford on election day or vote by absentee ballot.

I’m Moving Out of the Country
If you move temporarily to another country you also retain voting rights in Hartford. You should vote by absentee ballot or by an overseas ballot. You cannot retain your right to vote in Hartford, the state of Connecticut, or in any elections in the USA if you plan to move permanently.

• I’VE CHANGED MY NAME
If your name has changed because of marriage or divorce, if we have entered it incorrectly, or if you simply want to change the way your name is listed, you should fill out the voter registration application and check the box for “Name Change.”

• I’M IN HIGH SCHOOL – WHEN CAN I REGISTER?

You must be 18 years old to vote. You may register to vote when you are 17 years old, so long as you will be 18 on or before election day. Your application will be accepted and processed in the normal manner, and you will automatically be given active voter status on your birthday. Hartford’s Registrars of Voters make frequent visits to the city’s public high schools, colleges, universities, recreation centers and community events. If you’d like the Registrars of Voters to come to your school, community center or event, please contact Hartford Registrars of Voters to schedule a date.

• I’M A NEWLY NATURALIZED CITIZEN – CAN I REGISTER?

One of the most coveted civic privileges of every citizen of the United States is the right to participate in the democratic elections – this includes new citizens as well. In conjunction with the Connecticut Secretary of State’s office, Hartford’s Registrar of Voters regularly host registration drives at citizenship ceremonies held at the Abraham A. Ribicoff, Federal Building and Courthouse, Downtown Hartford. Additionally, the ROVAC office makes great strides to reach new citizens where they work, live and play here in the city of Hartford to help answer any questions they may have about the democratic process. If you’d like the Registrars of Voters to come to your next event, please contact the Registrar of Voter’s office at  to schedule a date.

I HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF A FELONY – CAN I STILL VOTE?

If you have been convicted of a felony in an out of state, federal, state if Connecticut court and committed to confinement in a federal or state correctional institution, facility or community residence you are eligible to have your voting privileges restored upon the payment of all fines in conjunction with the conviction and upon release from confinement, and, if applicable, parole. You simply have to follow the steps detailed above in the Initial Registration section. If you were previously registered to vote in Connecticut, you must re-register as a new voter. If you currently are still in custody by the Department of Corrections or Federal Bureau of Prisons through parole or binding stipulations, you are not currently eligible to vote. If you have been committed to and currently serving out a period of probation in the state of Connecticut, with an exception of those convicted of violation of Title 9 of Connecticut Election statutes, your electoral privileges can also be restored.