Election Guide
Nov. 7, 2023
General Election
Last updated: Nov. 6
Inside:
How can I register to vote?
If you haven't yet registered to vote, it's not too late.While the deadline to submit registration applications passed on Oct. 31, New Haven citizens can register to vote on election day itself by going to City Hall at 165 Church St. Make sure to bring proof of your identity and residency.If you do think you're registered already, it's a good idea to double check.
Has My Polling Place Changed?
In August, the Board of Alders implemented a new ward map — so depending on where you live, your alder and polling place may have changed. If you haven't voted yet this year, make sure to check.
How can I cast my ballot?
For in-person voters, polls will be open on Nov. 7 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.Within six days of the election, qualifying voters can deliver emergency absentee ballot applications to the City Clerk at 200 Orange St.All absentee ballots must be delivered to the City Clerk by 8 p.m. on election day in order to be counted.
What are the "Charter changes" on the ballot?
If you're voting in New Haven, you'll find an unusual question on the right side of your ballot:
"Shall the City approve and adopt all other Charter changes as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission and approved by the Board of Alders?"
The ballot won't feature any more information about what, exactly, those "Charter changes" are referring to — so here's the rundown.The city charter is the foundational document outlining the basic structure of New Haven's local government. Over the past year, in a process that typically happens once every decade, an appointed Charter Revision Commission worked jointly with the Board of Alders to suggest a set of changes to the charter.
If a majority of voters select "YES" in response to this question, all of the following changes will be enacted:
Extend terms for mayor, alder, and city clerk from two years to four years, to take effect in the municipal elections of 2027.
Allow alders to move most requirements for the structure of city departments, boards, and commissions out of the charter and into the code of ordinances, making them easier to change.
Increase alders’ annual stipends from $2,000 to $5,000 (or $6,200 for the president), with cost-of-living raises implemented in between terms.
Explicitly clarify that alders must approve all city contracts of at least $100,000.
Extend the window for alders’ approval of appointees to city boards and commissions from 60 to 90 days.
Change all language in the charter to be gender neutral.
Make line edits and correct a handful of inconsistencies and errors.
Read more about:
Why many local Democratic leaders support the changes
Why a grassroots campaign led by a lifetime parks commission member and the New Haven Republican party is advocating against the change
Why a Democratic ex-mayor is voting "yes," and is for 4-year terms for alders and mayor
Why a Democratic ex-alder is voting "no," and is against 4-year terms for alders
The city's write-up about the proposed changes
The New Haven Votes guide to charter revision
Who's on the ballot for mayor?
Justin Elicker
Nearly four years after first taking office in January 2020, Justin Elicker is running for a third term. Before becoming mayor, Elicker ran the New Haven Land Trust and represented East Rock and Cedar Hill on the Board of Alders.He's running on the Democrat and Working Families Party lines.He's highlighted accomplishments including:
A surge in city funding from Yale and the state
Creating the COMPASS crisis response team for mental health and homelessness-related 911 calls
An Inclusionary Zoning ordinance mandating affordable housing percentages
A deal to expand Tweed Airport
Ramping up landlord code violation fines
And he's promised to follow through on:
Redeveloping Long Wharf as a park, vo-tech education, and healthcare hub
Moving Adult Education to Newhallville
Opening new youth centers
Thomas Goldenberg
Embarking on his first-ever political candidacy, Tom Goldenberg is running for mayor after working as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. Previously, he meditated at an ashram, volunteered in disaster recovery, and worked in food service.He's running on the Republican and Independent Party lines, though he's personally registered as a Democrat.His campaign has critiqued city's harm-reduction efforts to address substance use disorder.He opposes:
City research into the idea of a "safe-use" supervised drug injection site
The timing and pace of the city's efforts to help the APT Foundation move to Long Wharf
He's also pledged to:
Build a partnership between the city and Yale to support city parks
"Bring back YouthStat" (a teen anti-violence program that Elicker renamed and restructured)
Support small and minority-owned businesses through "business corridor specialists," training, and data collection.
Wendy Hamilton
A retired nurse and activist-philanthropist, Wendy Hamilton has launched a second-ever — and even more riotous — mayoral campaign.She's running as an unaffiliated candidate.Hamilton has promise to pressure Yale into funding 50 percent of the city budget by:
Shutting off the water supply to Yale's golf course
Ticketing Yale vehicles daily
Pulling all Yale building permits
Ceasing Fire Department services on campus
Organizing a mass strike and boycott
And “embarrassing” the university in the “national press"
Her platform also includes:
Declaring municipal bankruptcy on day one in office
Hiring a new budget director and calling for an FBI investigation into the Board of Alders
Legalize all drugs
Read about the race from additional sources: CT Insider, Yale Daily News.
Who's running for alder?
D = Democrat
R = Republican
G = Green Party
WF = Working Families Party
P = petitioning/unaffiliated
W = write-in
* = incumbent
| Neighborhood | Ward | Who's running? | Read more about... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown & East Rock | Ward 7 | Eli Sabin* (D & WF), David Agosta (R) | - The candidates - Agosta's endorsement |
| Wooster Square & Mill River | Ward 8 | Ellen Cupo* (D), Andrea Zola (R) | - The candidates' platforms - Their debate - Cupo and Zola's campaign parties |
| East Rock & Cedar Hill | Ward 10 | Anna Festa* (D), Joshua Glaab (W) | - The candidates |
| Bella Vista | Ward 11 | Henry Murphy (D), Gail Roundtree (R), Ira Johnson (W) | - Renee Haywood's passing - Who the candidates are |
| Fair Haven Heights | Ward 13 | Rosa Ferraro-Santana* (D), Deborah Reyes (R), Paul Garlinghouse (G) | The candidates |
| The Annex | Ward 17 | Salvatore Punzo* (D), Anne Marie Rivera-Berrios (R), Camille Ansley (P) | Punzo and Ansley's candidacies Rivera-Berrios' previous alder run (She did not respond to requests for comment.) |
| Morris Cove | Ward 18 | Salvatore DeCola* (D), Lisa Milone (R), Susan Campion (W) | - Campion and DeCola's stances on climate and Tweed - Milone's platform - A resurfaced hit-and-run and lawsuit against DeCola |
| Newhallville | Ward 20 | Brittiany Mabery-Niblack (D), Addie Kimbrough (P) | - The candidates' pitches - Mabery-Niblack's work with senior tenants - Kimbrough's canvassing |
| Dixwell & Newhallville | Ward 21 | Maceo Troy Streater* (D), Fred Christmas (W) | From the previous special election: - Streater's canvassing - Christmas' door knocking - The candidates |
| Westville | Ward 25 | Adam Marchand* (D), Dennis Serfilippi (W) | Debate highlights: Homelessness Tax assessment |
See here for coverage of the city clerk's race, between incumbent Democrat Michael Smart and Republican challenger Anthony Acri.
A previously-contested Board of Education race is now uncontested after incumbent Darnell Goldson dropped out of the race. Andrea Downer will take his place as a new representative on the Board.
Find more political coverage from the New Haven Independent here.
A previous version of this website, published ahead of the Sept. 12, 2023 primary, can be found here.