Connecticut’s first major voter registration technology upgrade in nearly 25 years is already giving election officials a clearer and more precise view of voter and district data.
During testing of TotalVote, the state’s new Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Centralized Voter Registration System, the Office of the Secretary of the State and technical experts at the UConn Center for Voting Technology and Research identified two district-assignment issues that were not visible through the state’s older technology.
Finding the issues before implementation gave election officials time to evaluate the results and develop solutions before they could create confusion for voters or local officials.
The findings include approximately 4,700 voter records that will receive updated district assignments when TotalVote goes live in December. They also include approximately 1,600 voters residing in small geographic areas known as sliver districts, who will remain in their current voting districts until the next legislative redistricting.
“When Connecticut launched its original centralized voter registration system, we were among the first states in the nation to do so,” Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said. “Nearly 25 years later, TotalVote will give our local and state election officials the modern tools they need. More precise mapping, greater accuracy and a more efficient process will strengthen election administration for years to come. We’re already seeing the value of that investment before the system even goes live.”
The transition required close collaboration among election officials at the Office of the Secretary of the State, computer scientists, GIS experts, researchers and technology partners. The UConn Center for Voting Technology and Research has worked with the Office to test the system, analyze its findings and help evaluate potential solutions.
“Most of the discrepancies we’ve found are really only observable when you look at Connecticut town and district maps through the very high precision that’s offered by a GIS system,” said UConn Voting Center Director Alex Russell, adding that GIS technology is widely used in everyday applications such as GPS navigation, emergency response, surveying, and maintenance of local land records.
In elections, it allows officials to compare voter addresses with district boundaries with far more geographic precision than older, street-based systems.
“The opportunity to identify and correct issues that older technology or manual processes couldn’t detect is one of the reasons states across the country are adopting GIS technology for election administration,” Russell said.
Approximately 4,700 Voter Records Will Receive Updated District Assignments
The implementation of the GIS system identified approximately 4,700 voter records – around 0.18% of registered voters in Connecticut – that will be updated automatically to match the correct voting district when TotalVote goes live in December.
These records do not reflect changes to district boundaries. Instead, they involve voter assignments that can now be made more accurately because TotalVote compares voter addresses directly with official district maps.
Following each Census, local registrars have historically updated thousands of voter records by hand to reflect new legislative district boundaries. TotalVote automates much of that work, giving local election officials a more accurate and efficient process for future redistricting cycles.
“One of the biggest advantages of the new system is that it gives local election officials better tools,” said Kristin Sullivan, Director of Elections for the Office of the Secretary of the State. “Instead of relying primarily on manual updates after redistricting, registrars will have a system that uses precise mapping to help ensure voters are assigned to the correct districts. That improves accuracy, saves time and gives election officials greater confidence in the information they’re working with.”
Approximately 1,600 Voters Reside in “Sliver Districts”
The implementation of TotalVote also identified approximately 790 sliver districts across Connecticut. Most contain no housing or registered voters. Only 171 sliver districts contain registered voters, affecting approximately 1,600 voters—roughly 0.06 percent of Connecticut’s registered voter population as of July 2026.
Sliver districts occur where municipal boundaries, Census geography and legislative district boundaries do not perfectly align. These geographic conditions have existed for years but were not visible through Connecticut’s previous voter registration system. The precision of GIS technology made them visible for the first time.
After evaluating multiple approaches, the Office concluded that allowing affected voters to remain in their current voting districts until the next statewide redistricting cycle was the right path forward.
“The new Centralized Voter Registration System didn’t create the sliver districts. It revealed them,” Secretary Thomas said. “The fact that we can now see these areas clearly gives us the opportunity to make a thoughtful decision that protects ballot secrecy, supports our municipalities and maintains stable election administration.”
The Office will continue working with registrars of voters, municipal officials, UConn, the vendor, and members of the General Assembly as TotalVote moves toward full implementation.
“This upgrade is about much more than replacing old technology,” Secretary Thomas said. “It’s giving Connecticut better information, better tools and a stronger foundation for the future. That’s good for election officials, and most importantly, it’s good for voters.
Map by Charles Austin Beard – An economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913), p. 265., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12205185
