They’re Running For … What?

Anthony Gagliardi had three questions for Sergio Rodriguez when Rodriguez showed up at his Kneeland Road door asking for his vote.

One: ​“What exactly does a registrar do?”

Two: ​“And you’re elected?”

“I help run elections in New Haven from the municipal to national level,” Rodriguez, one of two third-party candidates for what has suddenly become the most hotly contested local office this campaign season. ​“I want efficient, effective, and safe elections. And I need to come in second place.”

Which led to question three: ​“Just second? Why do I need to vote for you then?”

“Well, I’d love to be first, but I just need to be first or second place to be a registrar because I’m with the Working Families party.”

“But I always vote Democrat.”

“I’m a Democrat, too. But I just missed the primary. I’m running through the Working Families Party because I want to give people a choice.”

Questions answered, Gagliardi pledged his support.

“Well, you came out and talked to me. You have my vote!”

Rodriguez was campaigning in Morris Cove on a blustery Monday afternoon, armed with his clipboard of registered voters. He is the Working Families’ Party candidate for city registrar of voters.

Also on the hustings is local attorney Paul Garlinghouse, the Green Party candidate for registrar of voters, a position responsible for registering voters, maintaining updated voting lists, distributing and then checking candidate petitions for ballot access, and overseeing the army of workers at the polls on Election Day.

It’s an important job, and in Connecticut it’s an elected position. But people rarely concentrate on it at election time, if they ever think about it at all. Because it’s rarely a contested position.

Due to state law — written by Democrats and Republicans — the Democratic and Republican candidates for registrar automatically win their positions. Even if other candidates get more votes. No matter what happens on Nov. 3, Democrat Shannel Evans and Republican Marlene Napolitano will be re-“elected” (assuming they at least vote for themselves).

But in a year when the whole country is focused on improving the voting process, Rodriguez and Garlinghouse are vying to come in at least second. If one of them does, New Haven will have three registrars, each with their own staff.

Technically they could both win, but no one expects the Democratic candidate to lose in a city where the party outnumbers Republicans 15 – 1, and unaffiliated voters constitute the second-largest group. As of mid-Tuesday, here are the latest voter registration figures: 39,878 Democrats, 2,619 Republicans, 16,554 unaffiliateds, 570 Independent Party members, 46 Greens, and 9 Working Families Party members.

Both third-party challengers promise to expand democracy if elected by working hard to sign up new voters in new ways, and to guide new potential candidates through the petitioning process in order to give voters more choices.

First they need to explain to voters why to care in the first place. With the help of their respective steeds — in Garlinghouse’s case a black bicycle; in Rodriguez’s black Mazda 6 — they hit the streets in recent days to offer that explanation.

“I want to provide a real alternative for local elections,” said Garlinghouse as he rode through East Rock on Sunday afternoon. ​“There have been serious complaints, election after election, about the registrars.”

When he ran in the primary for his district’s State Senate, he recalled, he asked the registrar for a list of eligible voters. ​“They gave me an incorrect list,” he said. ​“I noticed people were missing, so I contacted them. They said, ​‘That’s the only list we have!’ ” (Democratic registrar Shannel Evans did not respond to a request for response.)

Garlinghouse said he wants to provide better information for both voters and candidates. ​“I’ll make my own website if I have to,” he said.

A Teaching Moment

“How would a new registrar be different from the others?” asked Joyce Sanseverino, who wore rainbow colored glasses and a curious smile, after Sergio Rodriguez explained what the job is in in the first place.

“Well, there haven’t been any other registrars besides Democrats and Republicans,” said Rodriguez. ​“And I want to work collaboratively with them and the community. Let me ask you something: Do you know who the current registrars are?”

Sanseverino admitted that she did not. ​“Now I’ll know at least one,” she said.

She thanked Sergio for ​“educating her,” promising her vote.

Most people, Rodriguez noted, said they care about fair voting procedures and elections. They simply weren’t aware of the registrar’s role in that.

“One of my goals is education,” he said. ​“I want people to know who their registrars are, and what they do.” One idea he has is creating a course for high school students about voting history and their rights.

Like Rodriguez, many of the voters Garlinghouse met weren’t aware of the election or its rules.

“Register to vote? Yeah, we already did,” said two women in unison as they jogged down the street

“No, I’m asking for your vote,” Garlinghouse patiently explained.

“If I vote for you, am I taking away a vote from a Democrat?” asked another woman.

“No, because they’re guaranteed victory,” replied Garlinghouse.

This stopped the woman in her tracks. ​“What?”

“Part of my platform is that I want people to understand voting better,” said Garlinghouse. ​“Why not start now?”

As he made his pitch, he asked voters if they were registered, explaining how and when they could get ballots. He also reminded voters to check the name on their ballots since some have been sent to wrong addresses.

For some, Garlinghouse’s visit became an opportunity to ask questions.

“Do you know when our ballots are coming in, anyways?” asked Anna Zayaruznaya, a professor of music at Yale. Garlinghouse explained the timeline for ballots, as well as how to reach the city clerk in case Zayaruznaya still didn’t receive her ballot.

“That’s what I want to do,” Garlinghouse said. ​“I want to treat every person who comes for help like royalty.”

Connecting with Voters

“I can’t recall ever voting for a registrar,” Michelle Buckholz said when Rodriguez came to her door on Kneeland Road. She said she was impressed by Rodriguez’s pitch for accountability, noting that she was an Independent for a while before she registered as a Democrat.

One man, who refused to give his name, was sweeping leaves in his front yard. He said he was a former Upper Westville alder, agreeing that the registrar ​“needs to be cleaned up.” Although he ran and was elected as a Democrat, he supports third parties, he said. And after hearing Garlinghouse’s pitch, he was convinced.

“If there’s no competition, that’s no good,” he said. ​“You have my vote!”

Rodriguez and Garlinghouse used their third-party status to their advantage. ​“All the unaffiliated voters need representation,” said Rodriguez. ​“I’m here to reach them.”

“You’re from Working Families? That’s great,” said Dan Wajonowski, a local educator. ​“I always try to look for them on the ballot. I think we need other options.” 

“I’m already with the Green Party, I used to help with the board here,” said Greg, who declined to give his last name. ​“I don’t need a flyer; I’ll find your name!”

With voters like Gagliardi, however, Rodriguez emphasized that he is a Democrat. He said he had missed the deadline to run in a party primary, and was running as another choice.

Beyond party lines, Rodriguez and Garlinghouse appealed to the communities through personal connections.

Garlinghouse, for example, lived in East Rock until a decade ago.

“My son was born here!” he said while passing by a three-story blue house on Eagle Street. ​“We have to put flyers for them.” Later, Garlinghouse ran into some of his son’s childhood friends and their parents.

Rodriguez also knew many people, both as a former alderman for Westville and then a city employee for the Board of Education.

“I know your dad!” said Rodriguez as he approached potential voter Anthony Saguella. ​“He helped with city workers’ retirement. Tell him Sergio says hi.”

Above all, both candidates stressed the need for fair and democratic elections to their voters.

“Democratic elections need to have competition,” said Garlinghouse. ​“That’s what I hope to achieve by running.”