HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Connecticut's voter turnout reaches just under 70% as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Secretary of State Denise Merrill.
"The lines are building again," Merrill said as the polls reached their final two hours of operation, "because as people get off work or on their way home, they are stopping to vote. So, it's continuing and it will be a high turnout."
There were very few problems throughout the day, according to Merrill, considering the high voter turnout.
The few problems that did arise include ballot mix-ups which are being taken care of and anecdotal accounts of voting machine issues, Merrill said.
Voters did have to face long lines at some polling locations, with some waiting two hours before they could cast a ballot.
Looking to downtown Hartford as an example, Merrill said preparations were "amazing" for Election Day registration booths and absentee ballot lines.
However, she says it's difficult to know whether the preparation work was enough.
"This was a hard one to call for election officials," she said, "We had to prepare for both everybody coming in person and everybody voting absentee ballot. It would appear that many more people decided to come in at the last minute in person, so it's hard to say."
Mayor Luke Bronin in Hartford visited Grace Lutheran Church after reports came in of voters waiting over two hours in line to vote.
When it comes to initial results, Merrill said she expects most towns will be done by midnight while cities and larger suburban towns will take longer.