Connecticut voters decide governor, House and statewide races Tuesday

Vote counting spans 169 town-level jurisdictions, with automatic recounts for narrow margins

Connecticut voters will choose leaders for federal, state and other offices on Tuesday, with polls closing at 8 p.m. ET. The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in races for governor, U.S. House, attorney general, secretary of state, state Senate, state House, state comptroller and state treasurer, according to the AP Decision Team, which published the key facts and data points it will monitor as the votes are tallied.

The shape of the night depends partly on how Connecticut runs its elections. The state administers voting at the town and city level, across 169 separate jurisdictions that vary in how and when they release results. In many of the larger jurisdictions, results from a mix of voting methods are expected to be released together throughout the night, according to the AP.

Turnout in recent cycles offers a baseline. About 1.3 million votes were cast in Connecticut’s 2022 race for the U.S. Senate. About 12% of all ballots cast in that contest were cast early or by absentee ballot, according to the AP, whose advance vote tracker carries the latest advance vote totals for the state.

Past elections provide a guide to the pace of counting. In the 2024 general election, the first Connecticut results were reported starting at 8:12 p.m. ET on Nov. 5 — 12 minutes after polls closed. The state reached 50% of votes reporting at 12:25 a.m. ET on Nov. 6, and 90% of votes reporting at 2:06 p.m. ET, according to the AP.

The AP’s calling standard governs when races are decided in its reporting. The organization does not make projections and declares a winner only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP said, it will continue to cover newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory, while making clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explaining why.

Close margins set off a defined process under Connecticut law. Recounts are automatic if the vote margin is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast and does not exceed 2,000 votes, according to the AP. Recounts are also automatic in races where the margin is less than 20 votes or in the case of a tie vote.

If a recount results in a tie vote, Connecticut holds a runoff election — called an “adjourned election” in the state. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome, according to the AP’s guide.

The AP is directing readers to its 2026 election hub for continuing coverage of the contests in Connecticut and other states voting Tuesday.