Norwalk Reports Highest Voter Turnout in a Municipal Election in Over a Decade

NORWALK, Conn. — The 2025 Municipal Election may have concluded, but the results will continue to reverberate across Norwalk’s many communities. On Friday, Nov. 7, the Norwalk Registrar of Voters and Town Clerk announced that the 2025 municipal election results have been certified and submitted to the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Office.

Election officials reported that Election Day ran smoothly and efficiently, marking the highest voter turnout Norwalk has seen in a municipal election in more than a decade.

Throughout Election Day, the Registrar of Voters’ Office monitored ballot counts in real time and worked closely with moderators to anticipate potential needs. When several polling places saw unexpectedly high turnout late in the day, additional ballots were preemptively delivered—a proactive measure that helped ensure uninterrupted service for voters.

“We are committed to upholding the democratic process and fostering trust in our electoral system through accountability, professionalism, and a dedication to serving the public,” said Town Clerk Rick McQuaid. “We thank our teams, our incredible volunteer base, and every single voter who helped carry out the democratic process once again here in Norwalk.”

“We are proud that we ran a smooth operation and didn’t run out of ballots despite high voter turnout,” said Stuart Wells, Democratic Registrar of Voters. “I’m happy to report that we carried out our mission of ensuring another fair and transparent election by providing accessible voter registration, accurate vote counting, and unbiased support to everyone throughout the process.”

“Our new state-issued tabulators performed without any issues,” added Diana Paladino Christopher, Republican Registrar of Voters. “Every moderator and poll worker did an incredible job, and the entire election team should be proud of the execution of this year’s election.”

The Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters Offices emphasized that their top priority is to uphold the integrity and accuracy of the election process. They expressed gratitude to staff, moderators, and poll workers for helping make this year’s election successful, transparent, and well-run, and thanked voters for exercising their right to vote.

Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics

Statewide, about 35 percent of registered voters participated in Tuesday’s municipal elections, according to the Secretary of the State’s Office.

Locally, party enrollment and registration data show slight changes compared to the 2023 election:

Unaffiliated voters: 26,587 (unchanged from 2023)

Democrats: 24,480 registered (down 0.5%)

Republicans: 10,606 registered (up 3.8%)

Minor parties — Green, Independent, Libertarian, and Working Families — 1,114 registered (down 4.9%)

Machine/Polling Place Total

In 2023, Norwalk’s polling stations tabulated 14,731 votes. This year, 12,736 votes were tabulated from polling stations based on the unofficial totals, which may change slightly once the full district-by-district breakdown is finalized.

Mayoral Race

The 2025 election was the first since 2013 without Mayor Harry Rilling on the ballot. During his six terms, Rilling consistently earned more than 50 percent of the vote:
2013 (51.2%), 2015 (62.1%), 2017 (56%), 2019 (55.5%), 2021 (63.6%), and 2023 (55.5%).

Republican Vinny Scicchitano, who earned 44.55 percent in 2023, saw that total drop to 37.11 percent this year. Democrat Barbara Smyth, Rilling’s successor, earned 52.01 percent on the Democratic line and 2.32 percent on the Working Families Party line, a combined 55.6 percent of the vote.

Independent John Kydes received 7.47 percent, while unaffiliated candidate Erik Vitaglione earned 0.41 percent.