[UPDATE] Voter Turnout Strong in Westport

[UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.]  As of 5 p.m. 5,657 votes have been cast in Westport, according to Kevin White, Republican Registrar of Voters.

White said he expects voter turnout to be in the mid to high 40 percentile, a figure that is comparable or a little bit better than municipal elections in past years.

Below is the breakdown of raw numbers for each voting district as of 5 p.m., according to the registrar:

• District 1 – 611
• District 2 – 682
• District 3 – 630
• District 4 – 595
• District 5 – 626
• District 6 – 651
• District 7 – 657
• District 8 – 617
• District 9 – 588

[UPDATE, 1:25 p.m.] As of 1 p.m. 3,636 votes have been cast in Westport. 

Earlier the Registrar’s office was predicting a turnout between 35-42 percent, but with the uptick in afternoon voting, turnout projections have been increased.

“We’re trending more towards a turnout percentage in the mid-40’s with some districts coming in at the high 40’s,” said Marla Cowden, Democratic Registrar of Voters.

Below is the breakdown of raw numbers for each voting district as of 1 p.m., according to the registrar:

• District 1 – 360
• District 2 – 447
• District 3 – 417
• District 4 – 372
• District 5 – 412
• District 6 – 437
• District 7 – 416
• District 8 – 403
• District 9 – 372

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[UPDATE, 9:30 a.m.] As of 9 a.m. 1,364 voters have cast their ballot in Westport. That figure is on pace, or slightly below, recent turnout numbers, according to information from the Registrars Office.

“Last municipal election was around 40 percent, but we have had into the low 60 percents,” according to Marla Cowden, Democratic Registrar of Voters. “Right now we’re predicting a turnout of 35 – 42 percent, but this is just a predictive model.”

Below is the breakdown of raw numbers for each voting district as of 9 a.m., according to the registrar:

• District 1 – 130
• District 2 – 160
• District 3 – 141 
• District 4 – 150
• District 5 – 157
• District 6 – 167
• District 7 – 175
• District 8 – 144
• District 9 – 140

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[Original Story] Tuesday, Oct. 5 is Election Day and there are several contested battles across Westport.

The top battle in Westport is for First Selectman and Second Selectman between Republican candidates Jim Marpe and Avi Kaner and Democratic candidates Helen Garten and Melissa Kane.

There are also contested battles for:

• Probate Judge
• Board of Finance
• Board of Education
• Board of Assessment and Appeals
• Planning and Zoning Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Representative Town Meeting

As of Oct. 31 there were 16,956 registered voters in Westport. The following is the voter breakdown, according to the Registrar of Voters office:

• Republicans – 4,613
• Democrats – 6,038
• Unaffiliated – 6,198
• Other – 107

Voting will take place at six different locations, depending on RTM district:

• RTM 1 & 2 Saugatuck Elementary School gymnasium, 170 Riverside Avenue
  RTM 3 & 8 Coleytown Middle School Gymnasium, 255 North Avenue 
• RTM 4 Greens Farms Elementary School Auditorium, 17 Morningside Drive South 
• RTM 5 Greens Farms Elementary School Gymnasium, 17 Morningside Drive South 
• RTM 6 & 7 Long Lots Elementary School Gymnasium, 13 Hyde Lane
• RTM 9 Westport Public Library, 20 Jesup Road

This page will be updating throughout the day with pertinent information and election results.