Jessie Cheung, Contributing Photographer

Unofficial results from the Connecticut Secretary of State indicate that the two third-party candidates for the New Haven registrar of voters have failed to reach the vote threshold required to create a third official for the position.

While some absentee ballots remain outstanding, as of 8 p.m. on Thursday incumbent Democrat Shannel Evans led with 16,312 votes, or 72.89 percent, while incumbent Republican Marlene Napolitano finished second with 3,568 votes, or 15.94 percent. The two third-party candidates — Sergio Rodriguez of the Working Families Party and Paul Garlinghouse of the Green Party — both failed to hit even 9 percent of the total vote, which means neither would win office. 

By law, the position automatically gives a seat to the Democratic and Republican candidates running, but in order to have a third post created, the two third-party candidates would have had to come in at least second place. As previously reported by the News, Rodriguez, a former alder, and Garlinghouse, a former attorney, would have begun an unprecedented term as one of three elected registrars had their bids been successful.

Evans first took over the position from longtime Democratic Registrar Sharon Ferrucci in 2016 after serving as the deputy Democratic registrar. Napolitano has held the position since mid-2019 after Republican Registrar Delores Knight announced her retirement.

The New Haven Register has also called the two contested Connecticut House of Representatives races for officials representing parts of New Haven. As of Wednesday, incumbent Democrat Roland Lemar had won reelection in the 96th District over Republican Eric Mastroianni with 65.98 percent of the vote. The Register also called the race in the 97th District in favor of incumbent Democrat Al Paolillo over Republican Erin Reilly with 72.62 percent of the vote. 

According to the Connecticut Secretary of State’s office, there were 205,609 votes cast in New Haven County in the 2016 presidential election.

Thomas Birmingham | thomas.birmingham@yale.edu