TORRINGTON - Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz will honor more than 40 Korean War veterans Thursday during a 3:00 p.m. awards ceremony at Torrington High School.

"Our Korean War veterans fought courageously on the battlefield in some of the harshest conditions, suffering heavy casualties to protect Democracy and stop tyrannical Communist aggression," said Bysiewicz in a press release. "We want the thousands of Korean War veterans living in Connecticut to know we will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. We honor their service to our country during and after the war, when they came home and continued to do public service in our communities."

Bysiewicz will present each veteran with an award in recognition of their service during the war and invite the veterans to share their stories with friends and families in attendance.

There is no question that the biggest winner in Susan Bysiewicz' decision to switch to the race for attorney general is Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman.

The move leaves Glassman, Democrats' lieutenant governor nominee four years ago, a rising star in the party and a new and somewhat surprising entrant in the race for governor, as the only prominent woman running.

She could end up as a fresh-face alternative to millionaire failed Senate candidate Ned Lamont and former Stamford Mayor and failed 2006 gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy.

CLICK HERE for the story about Glassman's decision to explore a run for governor.

CLICK HERE for an item from ctlocalpolitics about the possible Democratic candidates for governor in 2010.
Like usual, it hinges on whether Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run, stay on as AG, hope for a U.S. Senate seat opening if Dodd's and/or Lieberman's fortunes continue to decline, or ride off into the sunset.
Other possible candidates include familiar also-rans or also-mentioneds, i.e., John Destefano, Dan Malloy, Susan Bysiewicz, Jim Amann and Donald Williams.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today issued the following statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a legal challenge brought by Greenwich resident Cort Wrotnowski claiming that President-elect Barack Obama was ineligible to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States because his citizenship status was in question.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has appropriately decided not to intervene in a case with very little, if any legal merit. Clearly, President-elect Barack Obama is a born citizen of the United States over the age of 35 and won a majority of the votes on Election Day November 4, 2008. Therefore, he meets the constitutional requirements to serve as President of the United States. Following yesterday’s vote, President-elect Obama won 365 Electoral votes – plenty more than enough to be sworn in as our country’s 44th President.
This legal challenge was based on erroneous information and was legitimately dismissed at the state level. I am relieved that the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court found no reason to question the view of our own jurists in Connecticut, who found that President-elect Obama was eligible to become president and as such had every right to be on our state’s ballots and certified as the winner of Connecticut’s 7 Electoral votes.”

HARTFORD - Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced today that New Hartford (94.78%), Weston (90.84%), Newtown (88.97%), and Stamford (81.65%) are the winners of the 2008 “Democracy Cup.” The award is given annually to the small, medium, large-sized towns and city with the highest voter turnout on Election Day.

“This year’s election was the most exciting in a generation,” said Bysiewicz. “Scores of new voters – young and old - went to the polls to make their voices heard. I congratulate these four towns for doing the best job this year of getting voters out to the polls. The involvement of citizens in the democratic process is the cornerstone of our civic life and this year the voters of New Hartford, Weston, Newtown , and Stamford proved they are leaders.”

Co-sponsored by the East Haddam Civic Association since 2000, the Democracy Cup was created as a way to encourage voter participation in each year’s elections. Under Democracy Cup criteria established by Secretary Bysiewicz, towns with fewer than 5,000 registered voters are considered small; municipalities with between 5,000 and 14,999 and voters are considered mid-sized, towns with 15,000 and 49,999 registered voters are considered large towns. This year, for the first time, cities with more than 50,000 registered voters are their own category.

“All Connecticut communities should be proud of their voter participation this year, but none more so than our big cities; especially Stamford ,” said Scot Mackinnon, co-founder of the Democracy Cup and East Haddam Civic Association member. “While New Hartford’s astounding 94.78% was the best turnout overall, Stamford 's 81.65% is amazing for a city with so many active registered voters. Typically, while smaller municipalities have an easier time getting voters to the polls, urban centers, like Stamford, New Haven and Hartford , are gaining ground. This is a trend worth celebrating."

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz will talk about her every-four-years consideration of a run for governor on Channel 3's "Face the State" program at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Maybe all those slick (taxpayer-funded, we assume?) commercials where Bysiewicz explained the new system of voting finally have raised her profile large enough to get her to take the plunge this time.
Also on the show will be state Republican Chairman Chris Healy talking about how to rebuild the party in Connecticut and possible challengers to U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd next year.

The every-other-year speculation that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run for governor started basically the day after this year's election.
Maybe - but doubtful - we'll find out if 2010 is finally the year when Blumenthal appears on "Face the State" on WFSB Channel 3 at 11 a.m. Sunday. Topics of discussion, according to the station, will be "Obama's Big Win, Blumenthal in 2010 and the state Republican party."
Conventional wisdom is that, once again, major potential Democratic candidates are somewhat paralyzed in actively seeking the governorship until Blumenthal makes up his mind.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who thought about running last time, and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, who lost in the primary last time to New Haven Mayor John Destefano, both might fall into that category.
Outgoing Speaker of the House Jim Amann is not in that category - he is openly running for the seat already.
God help the Republicans if Gov. M. Jodi Rell decides not to seek a second full term.
The other factor for major candidates could be U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's seat, which is up in 2010 also.
Who knows how the mortgage controversy that is increasingly sliming his reputation will impact his decision on whether to run again. Or maybe President-elect Barack Obama, who had once considered Dodd for vice president, will tap him for some cabinet appointment or ambassadorship.
If Dodd quits, Blumenthal might run for the Senate. And would Ned Lamont take another shot, so he could be the junior Senate teammate of his buddy Joe Lieberman?
And you also need to factor in a bunch of bored congressmen possibly being interested in either Dodd's seat or running for governor, including Chris Murphy, Joe Courtney or John Larson.

CLICK HERE for a story about Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz predicting 90 percent voter turnout in Connecticut tomorrow.

As explained in the release below from Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, you've got to register to vote by tomorrow night if you want to participate in the election Nov. 4.

Bysiewicz: This Is It! In Person Voter Registration Deadline is Tuesday October 28th , 8:00 p.m.

Secretary of the State Says Citizens Can Still Register to Vote By Going In Person to their Local town Hall Before 8:00Pm on Oct. 28th

Hartford : Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today reminded Connecticut residents that time is running out to register to vote for the November 4 th presidential election. Connecticut residents have until Tuesday, October 28 th, at 8:00 p.m. to register in person at their local Town Hall.

“This is it; tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in the most important election since 1932,” said Bysiewicz. “Don’t be left out of the easiest way to influence the direction of our country. I am urging all eligible Connecticut residents to register to vote, cast a ballot on Election Day, and make a difference.”

While the October 28, 2008 is the deadline to register to vote for the overwhelming majority of Connecticut residents there are several exceptions. Anyone who moves within or into Connecticut after October 28 th but before November 3 rd can still register to vote in person at their local registrar of voters’ office. Connecticut residents who become United States citizens between October 28 th and November 3 rd and Connecticut residents who become 18 years of age between that time also may register in person at their local registrars of voters’ office.

Secretary Bysiewicz recently reported that a surge in new voter registrations has pushed the total number of registered voters in Connecticut to over 2,000,000 – one of the highest such figures in state history. Since January 1, 2008, nearly 220,000 Connecticut residents have become newly registered voters.

The total number of registered voters in Connecticut is 2,021,749. The largest group of registered voters in Connecticut is unaffiliated, accounting for 845,311 voters. There are 750,999 registered Democrats and 418, 531 registered Republicans.

Since the beginning of this year 217,126 Connecticut residents have registered vote. Of those, 92,752 new voters have registered as Democrats, compared to 28,652 new Republican voters and 94,342 new unaffiliated voters.

Once again, young people in Connecticut between the ages of 18 and 29 continue to be the largest group of new voters registering for the November 4th election. Since January 1st , some 91,485 young people have registered to vote. Of those new younger voters, 39,392 have registered as Democrats and 9,959 have registered with the Republican Party and 41,504 have signed up as unaffiliated.

The Office of the Secretary of the State maintains an aggressive voter registration program. As part of her effort to increase voter registration in Connecticut , Secretary Bysiewicz has registered more than 2,500 high school students since the beginning of 2007. The Office of the Secretary of the State and local registrars of voters have conducted more than 300 voting machine demonstrations highlighting the new machines and registering voters. The Office of the Secretary of the State also registers new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies across Connecticut .

Visit www.Vote-EZ-CT.com to learn more about Connecticut ’s optical scan voting machines.