East Hartford population numbers receded according to the 2020 Census, declining from 51,252 in 2000 to 50,242 20 years later. But the number of people registered to vote here has increased by 23 percent.
Based on data submitted by the town to the Secretary of State’s office, East Hartford had 32, 925 as of October 27, 2020. Democrats led the numbers with 15,242, or 46.29 percent, of all registered voters on that date. That is almost 5 times the number of registered Republicans in East Hartford. According to the state, there are 3,242 registered Republicans in town, or 9.85 percent. Republicans also trail the third largest category in East Hartford – unaffiliated. As of October 2020 there are 14,121 registered unaffiliated eligible to cast a vote in East Hartford.
Of course, party affiliation serves as an indicator, not a predictor of the actual Election Day result. And the percentage actually voting – a number used to gauge civic involvement – would also decline if the same numbers of voters cast their ballots as the overall registration numbers increase.
Looking back to 2000, East Hartford reported 26,773 were registered to vote – 13,538 Democrat, 3,566 Republican and 9,643 unaffiliated. By 2009 GOP numbers fell to 3,078 while Dem numbers grew to 14,508. In 2011 GOP registrations fell to 2,881, then down to a low point of 2,681 by 2015. But Democratic registration also declined in 2011 to 13,631, then 13,138 in 2015 as registrations also declined in town from 29,575 in 2009 to 27,845 in 2011 to 27,616.
By 2018 state initiatives making registration easier at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles began to bring the numbers up across the board. East Hartford voter rolls swelled to 30,304 with the GOP seemingly resuscitated posting 3,076 registrants, Democrats counting 14,471. But the biggest gains came with the unaffiliated category which posted 12,498 – a 30 percent jump from 2000. In two decades East Hartford GOP registration shows a slight decline – at 3,242 (down from 3,566) – and Dems solidified their majority of registered voters with 15,242 (up 12.6 percent since 2000).
Based on registration numbers alone, both town parties could pat themselves on the back for keeping their party vision alive and well. But a closer look at what has happened in East Hartford since 2000 is surprising: Those registered as unaffiliated by last October have increased by 4,478 – or by 44.78 percent – from what they were at the turn of the millennium.
There is a temptation to interpret the 6,152 spike in registered voters – 23 percent since 2000 – as it depends on actual turnout of those newly-minted electors. East Hartford’s election turnout has fallen to less than 20 percent in the municipal elections, which is why the Town Council places bond questions on the years when a presidential or gubernatorial election takes place as the Charter requires a minimum of 20 percent turnout of the prior year’s election to approve a bond item.
It also may not indicate anything about one party or another, Republican or Democrat, in East Hartford at time for the traditional victory speeches on election night. Organization turns the voters out, and this year the Democrats took a further step in direct mailing absentee ballot applications to every Democrat who voted by absentee in the pandemic.
East Hartford’s spike in unaffiliated voters indicates some sort of dissatisfaction with the traditional two-party system, and, while it isn’t likely that would open the door to a third party, it does serve as an early warning that DMV-minted voters either do not care or may not be buying everything East Hartford’s traditional two party system is selling.
