Paul Bass and Thomas MacMillan File Photos
Green hopeful Paul Garlinghouse, incoming Republican registrar Lisa Milone, and incumbent Democratic registrar Shannel Evans.
Lisa Milone can’t lose November’s registrar of voters election.
Seriously: Per state law, the Republican candidate has to win. The same is true for her Democratic counterpart and two-term incumbent, Shannel Evans.
Milone is slated to assume that citywide elected post as she replaces local Republican Registrar of Voters Marlene Napolitano, who has served in the role since 2019 and is not running again.
A state law favoring two-party politics means that both Milone and Evans have already effectively won their respective registrar of voters general elections, which are scheduled to take place on Nov. 5.
Specifically, CGS Sec. 9 – 190 states that every Connecticut municipality has to have a registrar representing each of the top two political parties in the state. In practice, that means that regardless of whether a third-party or unaffiliated candidate runs in a general election, the candidates with Democrat and Republican party endorsements will win by default.
That state rule holds true even though registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters far outnumber registered Republicans in New Haven. Of the city’s 56,389 registered voters, 30 percent (17,146) are unaffiliated with a political party. A majority, 63 percent (35,493) are registered Democrats, while 6 percent (3,192) are Republicans, and just under 1 percent (55) are registered with any other political party.
Besides the Republican registrar of voters, every other elected office representing New Haven at the local, state, and federal levels is held by a Democrat.
Third-party or unaffiliated candidates can also win — and effectively create a third paid registrar of voters position in the city — if they are one of the two most voted-for candidates in the race.
Green Party candidate Paul Garlinghouse is running to make a third registrar of voters a reality for the first time in New Haven’s history. Read more about his candidacy below; click here to read about his unsuccessful Green Party bid for registrar of voters in 2020.
Though party affiliation is central to the makeup of their office, the registrars’ duties are largely non-partisan.
The registrars, who serve four-year terms, are in charge of implementing local, state, and national elections in New Haven. They are tasked with coordinating the logistics of running elections (except for absentee ballots) — which often means recruiting, training, and supervising hundreds of poll workers at a time — while ensuring that voting operates according to the law. Registrars are also tasked with keeping election-related records, publishing voting information, and helping citizens register to vote.
Evans, who has held the role of Democratic Registrar of Voters since 2016, said she’s running for reelection because “I love my job.” She said she continues to be passionate about improving voter turnout and knowledge. “I am confident in the service that we’re providing.”
Milone: "A Local, Local Advocate"
A Morris Cove resident and licensed social worker, Milone has lived in New Haven for three decades. She worked as a Republican clerk in the registrar’s office for over six years, starting in 2016, and previously owned a Milford-based hair salon. She is now a family recovery specialist with Communicare, helping families impacted by addiction and mental health crises.
Milone said she decided to run for registrar after learning of Napolitano’s decision to retire. She was the only Republican to seek the seat. (Napolitano did not respond to requests for comment in time for this article.)
From her own experience as a registrar of voters clerk, Milone said that the registrars’ workload is often underestimated by members of the public.
“People think that office is a city job where you don’t really do very much,” she said, but “there’s a lot of work involved. It’s a year-round job.”
When asked what she would change about the way the office currently runs, Milone replied, “A lot of things are pretty efficient, but I think we can do better at educating voters about voting.” She described hearing again and again from constituents who think of voting as a pointless activity: “Nothing changes anyway.” Milone said she hopes to combat this sentiment. “We need to express the importance of voting,” she said.
This past summer, Milone forayed into national politics as a delegate for Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention — the first one she’s ever attended. “It was really exciting,” she said of the event. “I was very excited to be [in] a roomful of people who are like-minded.”
When asked whether she agrees with Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, Milone responded, “I would not say that it was, because I have no fact or basis on that.”
She stressed that she is focused on local politics, and that she has confidence in the integrity of elections in New Haven. “I’m gonna go back to saying that I am a local, local advocate for local elections. I don’t have an opinion — I am not in Arizona. I can only speak for New Haven. When I was in the office in New Haven, we worked our tails off to make sure that everything was efficient and that everything runs smooth.”
Milone said she’s excited to work with Evans, and if he wins enough votes to create a third registrar role, Garlinghouse as well. “Many, many Democrats I have conversations with, we agree on probably 98 percent of the topics,” she said. “I am positively open to working with whoever’s in that office.”
Garlinghouse: Registrar #3?
Garlinghouse has lived in New Haven for 25 years, currently residing in Fair Haven. As an attorney, he has represented arrested protesters and successfully sued the city for police brutality, while working day to day representing clients in family court.
He said he decided to run for a potential third registrar of voters position because he does not believe third-party or the 30 percent of active voters who are unaffiliated are being served well by the current two-party makeup of the office.
Though he’s become a local Green Party stalwart, “I’ve always voted for many years of my life for Democrats,” said Garlinghouse. “I have to say that in New Haven, I’m in a one-party town. … I’m trying to build some alternative.”
He argued that at a time when disinformation has led to heightened scrutiny and even harassment over election operations across the country, a candidate unaffiliated with the two major parties would be well-positioned to garner more public trust.
“Our elections are correct, our accounting is correct,” he said. “There are these crazy rumors out there.”
As registrar, Garlinghouse said, he would prioritize smoothing out hiccups that voters sometimes face while going to the polls — but also focus on promoting more competitive races.
“I want to include people. Not just voters, I want to encourage candidates,” he said. “I would love every single race to have at least one opponent.”
The registrar of voters office currently operates with a budget of $1,394,140.
The two registrars and their staff members earn equivalent salaries: the registrars each get paid $83,430, while each party’s statistician and clerk earns $54,590 and $46,350, respectively.
According to Garlinghouse, paying for a third registrar would entail “a small addition to the budget” — an addition that would be worth it.
“Given how hard it is to deal with elections these days,” he said, referencing the recently-added responsibility of coordinating early voting, “that would be a willing addition to the office … I think it can only help.”
Though he’d be able to hire at least two staff members in his new role, Garlinghouse said, “I’m not sure I would, in fact, do that. … Just because I’m a taxpayer, too.”