The Day's staff is reporting and tweeting from polling places throughout southeastern Connecticut as voters cast their ballots in local elections.

Waterford

Voting in town was mostly steady throughout the day; however, turnout has been relatively low compared to previous years. At 12 p.m., Democrat Registrar of Voters Julie Watson Jones said turnout was at 11.3%, with 1,611 votes cast in all the districts. In 2019, the turnout at around the same time was at 17.7% with 2,342 votes. As of 5 p.m., 22.6% of registered voters in Waterford had voted, a total of 3,218, and not including absentee ballots.

Voters going into and out of polling stations felt strongly about their choices.

Jan Drzewianowski of Waterford said he was supporting several candidates that have been in office for a long time, such as Republicans District 4 RTM candidate Thomas Dembeck and Board of Finance candidate Ron Fedor. As a taxpayer and fire department volunteer, he said he cared about fire services, that tax money is properly spent and that people residing in Waterford are not taxed out of their homes.

Dee Charbonneau of Waterford said she was voting by slate this year and supporting the Democratic party.

"I'm disillusioned by Republicans after President Trump and his horrific behavior," she said. "I wouldn't vote Republican again even if it were a family member."

— Johana Vazquez

New London

Jackie Carrell of New London cast her votes at the District 1 polling place at New London High School.

"I'm doing my civic duty. I try and vote towards what I believe in. I'm unaffiliated for a reason. I like to weigh my beliefs and be open minded towards the candidates," Carrell said.

Several candidates from different parties took their spots outside the polling place; New London Green Party members, Republicans and Democrats among them. Among the candidates spending the day campaigning was Danni Cruz, a 2021 graduate of New London High School and candidate for the Board of Education.

"It's my first time voting and I'm on the ballot," Cruz said. And yes, Cruz said, he did vote for himself.

Many of the voters who spoke to The Day said they would be voting for candidates and not for party lines.

Democrats are in the majority in New London and hold 13 of the 14 seats available on the City Council and Board of Education.

Of the 15,771 registered voters, there are 7,407 registered Democrats, 1,471 Republicans, 6,677 unaffiliated and 216 registered in other parties.

— Greg Smith

Norwich

Election Day in Norwich was characterized by a lower than hoped for turnout, a gas odor scare at one polling place and an encounter with a couple who refused to wear masks at a school polling place.

Democratic Registrar Dianne Daniels said the couple came to the Samuel Huntington School to vote and was asked to wear masks and refused. Daniels said they refused to wear masks "because we're Americans." Daniels said moderator Catherine Williams-Molocko and election checker Alexis Reyes Morales responded that they too are Americans, to which the voters snorted, Republican Registrar Cheryl Stover said.

The two were given ballots and directed to a voting booth away from other booths. Daniels said the two called a local TV news station news and complained they were "refused" a ballot, which "was a bold lie," Daniels said.

The St. Mark's Lutheran Church polling place briefly was evacuated at noon Tuesday for an odor of gas from the church hall kitchen. Norwich Public Utilities said the situation was corrected quickly, Daniels said.

The two Norwich registrars were disappointed at the 17% turnout as of 5:30 p.m. and were hoping for a busy evening to boost the numbers.

— Claire Bessette

Groton

Voters Margie Merenda and Rabbi Joe Merenda, who cast their ballots at the Zbierski House at Eastern Point Beach Tuesday afternoon, said voting in local elections is just as important as national ones.

"I just think it's important to make your voice count," said Margie Merenda. "We've been here for 43 years, and we're invested in what's going on."

Voter Daniel Tompkins said he made sure he votes in every election.

"I don't think I've missed one yet," he said outside the Zbierski House.

Annie Oosterwyk, machine tender at the Fitch High School polling place, said at 4:20 p.m. that it had been a constant stream of people. So constant, she joked, that she had been unable to tend to her knitting.

"It's definitely not been slow," she said. "I only knitted two rows."

— Kimberly Drelich

East Lyme

With three hours to go in East Lyme, about 30.3% of voters had turned out for an election headlined by Deputy First Selectman Kevin Seery and Board of Finance Chairwoman Camille Alberti in the race for first selectman. Alberti said the word of the day among voters was "conservation" in the town where the proposed purchase of 120 acres known as the Hathaway property for open space and opposition to development of Oswegatchie Hills are hot topics.

Seery said three or four people today have brought up concerns that they don't want critical race theory being taught in the schools. Acknowledging the complex and politically-charged issue has become "very divisive," he said school officials have been adamant CRT is not being taught in the school district.

— Elizabeth Regan

Ledyard

Outside Juliet W. Long School in Ledyard, Steve Munger, a Republican candidate for Board of Education, left his campaign sign by his truck and crossed the driveway to stand with Democrats Joanne Kelley, a candidate for Board of Education, and Naomi Rodriguez, a candidate for Town Council. When they weren't waving to voters, they were laughing together and pretending not to like one another. "We're friends," Munger said, pointing out that the three have served together on the Board of Education for years. "We don't always agree, but we're all about the kids."

— Peter Huoppi

Montville, Salem

In Montville and Salem, voting was steady in some locations, though there were no lines. Several voters said they chose both Democrats and Republicans for office this time. People exiting the polling places said that in particular, they are interested in Board of Education candidates. Many mentioned national trends on issues such as voting rights, how their children are taught about race and mask mandates.

— Sten Spinella

Old Lyme

In Old Lyme, nearly 1,500 of the town's nearly 6,000 registered voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m., according to poll workers at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, the town's sole polling place. Both candidates for first selectman — incumbent Republican Timothy Griswold and Democratic challenger Martha Shoemaker — had been on the scene since the polls opened at 6 a.m.

David Evers, who identified himself as a registered Republican, said he intended to vote for Griswold because of the knowledge the incumbent has accumulated during a total of eight terms as first selectman.

"It's important to have someone with his background," Evers said.

Shoemaker, a New London native, taught for 35 years in Waterford schools, has served as a labor union official and works full time for an engineering firm. A member of the Lyme-Old Lyme school board, she's seeking reelection to that office in addition to the first selectman's seat.

"I've always been a multi-tasker," she said.

— Brian Hallenbeck