HARTFORD, Conn. — On the first day of early voting for the presidential election, the line was so long in Greenwich that Gov. Ned Lamont gave up and said he would return on another day.

A huge crowd showed up to vote Monday morning at Greenwich Town Hall, where voters said that the estimated wait was at least 30 minutes.

After shaking hands with fellow residents, Lamont decided to leave and head to another appointment on his schedule.

“The line will be shorter tomorrow,” Lamont quipped.

Like Greenwich, early voting was highly popular Monday in spots around the state, including in West Hartford, as word has spread about the new law.

In the first three hours on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 20,000 voters had cast ballots, according to the Secretary of the State’s office. The total jumped to 38,699 votes cast as of 3 p.m. Monday.

Those numbers surprised many officials because only 17,000 voters had cast ballots during four full days in the presidential preference primaries back in late March, which was the first time that early voting was held in Connecticut.

But the office of Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, the state’s chief elections official, had spread the word through highway billboards and social media about the start of early voting on Oct. 21.

The major driving force Monday was the sky-high level of interest in the presidential race that made the difference. Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are battling against Republicans Donald J. Trump and JD Vance in one of the closest elections in years.

The interest, Lamont said, is coming from voters of all political ideologies.

“I think Republicans and Democrats are early voting,” Lamont told reporters in Greenwich. “I think they appreciate the flexibility.”

For the next 13 consecutive days, including weekends, voters will be able to cast their ballots in a change that was approved as a constitutional amendment. That includes voting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekend of Oct. 26 and 27, as well as Nov. 2 and 3.

The high turnout Monday represented a major change from early voting in previous elections. The November presidential election is the third time that Connecticut voters have had the chance to vote early. Since the method of voting was new, many residents were unaware of the option during the presidential primaries and in the August primaries that featured mostly local races. The presidential primaries were in early April, but the early voting took place in late March during a tight, four-day period that included a day off at town halls for the Good Friday holiday.

In order to publicize the new hours, Lamont’s office told reporters that he would be headed to town hall to vote at 11 a.m. Monday. He was already in his hometown because he had hosted a major fundraiser with Walz on Sunday night that raised $1.8 million from more than 250 contributors.

During a speech under a white tent that was attached to the back of Lamont’s house, Walz told the partisan crowd of wealthy Democratic contributors that Americans are becoming more focused as the election approached. Early voting has started in numerous states across the country.

“I know this is a preaching-to-the-choir moment, but I’m telling people our recital is in 16 days, and the choir needs to sing and needs to sing now,” Walz said as the crowd applauded. “The contrast couldn’t be any greater. … A large number of people in America are super busy, and their kids are in school. People do start listening in the last 16 days.”

Last week, Lamont brought attention to early voting during a press conference with Thomas in an effort to spread the word.

“Early voting provides every type of Connecticut voter, from seniors, parents, and students, to commuters, those who work long hours, and anyone with an unreliable schedule,” Thomas said. “Together with our office, registrars of voters and town clerks have worked diligently and collaboratively on a nonpartisan basis all year on the roll out of early voting in order to ensure a safe, secure election for all.”

Early voting, officials say, is positive for a variety of reasons.

“Many people do not have the privilege of flexible work hours, reliable childcare options, or circumstances that allow them to cast their vote on Election Day,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. “That’s why almost every other state in the country offers an early voting option, and now Connecticut residents have the choice, too. So, whether you’re busy on Election Day or just prefer to vote at your own pace, early voting empowers you to participate in shaping the future of our democracy.”

Voting history

Following 46 other states, Connecticut legislators voted last year to allow residents to vote earlier than Election Day for the first time.

After more than four hours of debate, the state House of Representatives approved the bill by 107-35 with all negative votes coming from Republicans.

The new law calls for early, in-person voting for 14 days before a general election in November, seven days before the statewide August primaries, and four days before special elections and presidential primaries. Local referendums on budgets and other issues are not included.

The 33-section law gives wide latitude to cities and towns to run their elections, but each municipality must have at least one early-voting location. That is usually at town hall, as it is in Greenwich.

While common around the country, early, in-person voting had never become law in the Land of Steady Habits. To ease the restrictions, lawmakers proposed two separate constitutional amendments for early voting and “no excuse” absentee ballots.

The amendment on early voting was approved by 63% of voters in November 2022, and the legislature also voted again separately on a constitutional amendment for the “no excuse” ballots. That amendment is on the ballot for voters this year.

In November 2014, Connecticut voters rejected a constitutional amendment on absentee ballots that asked them in a one-sentence question if the Constitution should be changed. Proponents said the wording was confusing, while others said the issue was simply defeated.

The question was: “Shall the Constitution of the state be amended to remove restrictions concerning absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without appearing at a polling place on the day of an election?” That came off as an unpalatable idea, and 53% of voters shot it down.

Nationally, the average time for early voting is 21 days before the election, lawmakers said. The shortest time frame nationally is three days, while the longest is 45 days before an election, they said.

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