(HARTFORD, CT) – On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas presented trophies to the local election officials in four Connecticut towns that distinguished themselves as the winners of the 2022 Democracy Cup. Mansfield was awarded the Democracy Cup in the category of mid-sized Towns.
The award is bestowed on municipalities with the highest voter turnout in the most-recent even-numbered election year with four categories based on town size - small, mid-sized, large, and city. This year’s winners are Deep River (small), Mansfield (mid-sized), Glastonbury (large), and Stamford (city).
Secretary Thomas extended her congratulations and appreciation for the work done to ensure each election is conducted smoothly and fairly.
“I spend much of time every day thinking about how to foster turnout. And the answer is complex. A lot of attention is given to policy, but it takes more than that to convince people to go out and cast a ballot” said Secretary Thomas. “It takes the hard work and care of election administrators who simply have to make things work - from working through a global pandemic to ensuring that lists are maintained and that voters are educated about how to cast a ballot.”
In Mansfield, Secretary Thomas was greeted by Mayor Toni Moran, Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth, members of the Town Council, State Representatives Gregg Haddad and Pat Boyd, and Mansfield Public Schools Superintendents Peter Dart and Sharon Cournoyer from Region 19, Mansfield party leaders, and election workers. UConn Student Government President Jon Heiden also joined the gathering, delivering more than 140 completed voter registration forms to Mansfield Registrars Vera Ward and Anne Greineder. Town Clerk Sara-Ann Chaine and Registrars Greineder and Ward received the Democracy Cup on behalf of Mansfield. Former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who also served Mansfield as a State Representative, also joined the celebration.
In the 2022 general election, total statewide turnout was 57.62% with 1,297,811 out of 2,252,216 registered voters casting a ballot. Turnout among the four winning towns was: 85.81% in Deep River, 71.90% in Mansfield; 66.82 % in Glastonbury and 51.53 % in Stamford.
Under Democracy Cup criteria, cities and towns with fewer than 10,000 people compete in the “small” category; cities and towns with between 10,000 and 30,000 people are in the “mid-sized” category; cities and towns with between 30,000 and 65,000 people are in the “large” category. Cities and towns with more than 65,000 people are in the “city” category.
Each community awarded the Democracy Cup will be able to host and display a trophy until the 2024 election.