{news} Keith Brooks in Weston Forum

[David Bedell]

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&id=11194:registrars-of-voters-three-vie-for-two-spots&Itemid=112
 
Registrars of voters: Three vie for two spots 
   
Written by Patricia Gay   
pgay@ theWestonForum.com 
Wednesday, October 15, 2008  

There is no busier time for the town’s registrars of voters than the weeks leading up to an election.
 
The upcoming 2008 presidential election on Nov. 4 is no exception.
 
>From two desks in the town clerk’s office at Weston Town Hall, the phone lines for the registrars are ringing steadily with Westonites wanting to know how and where they can register to vote. People are also coming in to drop off their voter applications and pick up absentee ballots.
 
“There have been a lot of new voters registering — many young people,” said Laura Smits, the Democratic deputy registrar.
 
In January 2008, right before the presidential preference primary, there were 6,066 registered voters in Weston. Of those, there were 1,910 Democrats, 1,907 Republicans, and 2,249 unaffiliated and other parties.
 
Democrats outnumbered Republicans by just three voters, with the number of unaffiliated voters topping that of both parties.
 
As of Tuesday, Oct. 14, there were 6,036 registered voters in Weston, down 30 voters in the past nine months, following an annual voter canvass, which weeds out inactive voters from the registration list. 
 
But the make-up of the town’s voters has changed substantially. 
 
There are now 2,130 Democrats (an increase of 220), 1,850 Republicans (down 57), 2,046 unaffiliated voters, and 10 voters registered with other parties.
 
Democrats now outnumber Republicans by 280 voters, while unaffiliated registrated voters have decreased by more than 200.  
 
There are now more registered Democrats in Weston than Republicans or unaffiliated voters.
 
Election
 
Keeping tabs on the town’s voters are the registrars — Diane Lofthus for the Democrats, and Eileen Buckley for the Republicans. They are elected officials and their offices will appear on the ballot in the upcoming election.
 
Ms. Lofthus is not running again, so Ms. Smits will appear on the ballot as the Democratic registrar candidate, while Ms. Buckley is seeking re-election for the Republican Party.
 
Although voters may only choose one candidate, the two highest vote getters will be elected. Most years, that means both registrars are elected. However, in Weston this year there is a twist.
 
Keith Brooks, a veteran naval officer in World War II, and chairman of the local “Impeach Cheney and Bush Committee,” is running for registrar as a third-party candidate on the Green Party line.
 
“I guess you would have to consider me an underdog, because many people will vote a straight party line,” Mr. Brooks said. In order to be elected, he would need to get more votes than either Ms. Smits or Ms. Buckley.
 
Important
 
The registrars have a very important job. They maintain an accurate, up-to-date registry of everyone in Weston who is registered to vote, and they also conduct an annual canvass to weed out the names of those who have died or have moved from town.
 
Whenever the town has a special referendum, primary, or town meeting, the registrars are there to check voters in and to make sure accurate counts are kept of those in attendance. They also have to be prepared with paper ballots for these meetings, if a paper ballot vote is requested.
 
Although the registrars’ jobs are budgeted for six hours a week, the registrars can work long hours, especially as elections draw near. During that time, they hold special registration sessions for new voters, and they also work at the polls on Election Day, from 5:15 a.m. until after the polls close at 8 p.m.
 
“There can be weeks where the hours are long, but there are other times of the year when there is very little to do. It’s the nature of the job,” said Ms. Buckley, who has been a registrar for 10 years.
 
Ms. Buckley has lived in Weston for 40 years and has two grown children who attended the Weston schools. She was a member of the PTO when her children were young, and is now a member of the Republican Town Committee. “I like being a registrar of voters because I have an interest in government, and it is nice to be part of the process in a way that helps people,” she said.
 
Ms. Smits is a writer and substitute teacher, and once hosted a local radio talk show called Call Me Crazy. She said she enjoys being the deputy registrar of voters because it allows her to be helpful to voters without taking sides.
 
“As Americans, we sometimes take our voting rights for granted. There is not a lot of apathy in Weston and it’s nice to see people come to the polls and help them exercise their right to vote. I’m glad to be a part of that,” she said.
 
Helping unaffiliates
 
Regardless of a registrar’s party affiliation, they register all voters, including unaffiliated voters and those registered with other parties such as the Green Party or Libertarian Party.
 
Ms. Buckley said the tradition of having a registrar for each major party goes back to times when people were skeptical about the voting process, so they insisted on having one registrar for each party to insure the party’s voting records were accurate. 
 
Mr. Brooks said if elected he will specifically look out for the interests of unaffiliated voters. “The plurality of people in Weston are not Democrats or Republicans,” he said.
 
Mr. Brooks has lived in Weston since 1976. He is married and a proud grandfather. He is the founder and chairman of Brooks Laboratories and Brooks Environmental Consulting in Norwalk. He is also a painter and has had shows in the area and is a trombonist in the Westport Community Band.
He said he will be sending a mailing before the election to all households in Weston so people can get to know him better.
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