By Jody Dietch
Orange Democratic Town Committee
Jody Dietch
The Orange Democratic Town Committee continues to meet and plan over the summer months. We generally meet the third Tuesday of each month at High Plains Community Center, located at 525 Orange Center Rd.
Our hot topic of discussion at our May meeting was “Should TikTok be banned.” The meeting took place after the deadline for this column, but we will give you an update in the next issue.
We have some exciting events planned in the next few months as we work to support candidates state Sen. James Maroney, state Rep. Mary Welander and Etan Hirsch and MJ Shannon. Save the date for Sept. 8 at 4 p.m., when we will host our annual Meet the Candidates Picnic at the pavilion at High Plains. More information will be on our website, OrangeCTDems.org, and our Facebook and Instagram pages at OrangeCTDems.
Do you know who’s district you live in?
Our little town is all part of the state Senate District 14, but we are divided into three districts for the state House of Representatives. Welander represents the 114th District, which also includes Woodbridge and parts of Derby and Hamden.
The other two districts are the 117th, in which MJ Shannon is running to be your representative, and the 119th, in which Etan Hirsch is running. The 117th covers part of Milford, Orange and West Haven. The 119th covers part of Milford and Orange.
To make things more confusing, within Orange these districts are known as districts 1, 2, and 3. That’s how you find where you will be voting in November. All voting takes place at High Plains Community Center. District 1 is state representative District 114 and votes in the gym. District 2 is state representative District 117 and votes in the south wing, Room 3 (best parking is by the tennis and basketball courts; go in that door). District 3 is state representative District 119 and votes in the senior café (you can park by the pool and go in the back by the dumpster). It helps to know your district before showing up at the polls in November.
This year, you will also be able to vote early. Early voting will begin 14 days before the Nov. 5 election, which is Monday, Oct. 21 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 3. Polls are open from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 21 through Oct. 28, again on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and from Friday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Nov. 3. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Thursday, Oct. 31. There is no voting on Nov. 4. Polls on election day are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Absentee voting is also still an option. This is especially important for our college students, members of our community with mobility issues or disabilities or anyone who will be away from Orange during the early voting period and election day. College students should get their absentee ballot applications before they leave for college. We also recommend sending them with a couple of stamps.
If you have any questions on what district you are in and how to vote, reach out to Registrar of Voters Janice Casey at 203-891-4715 or me at JLDOrange@yahoo.com.
Jody Dietch is the chair of the Orange Democratic Town Committee.