Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) used an absentee ballot to try to vote in a Nov. 5 municipal election but the vote wasnt counted because he was labeled an “inactive” voter.
Murphy, 46, and his family moved to Washington shortly after he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. The family sold their home in Cheshire in September. Murphy registered to vote in Old Lyme, where his parents live.
Cathy Carter the Republican Registrar of Voters in Old Lyme, told the Connecticut News Junkie that the office sent Murphy a notice asking for confirmation of the registration but the notice was returned by the U.S. Postal Service with no contact information.
A number of people were moved to the inactive voter list for failing to respond to the notice, Carter said.
“Sen. Murphy was issued and cast an absentee ballot in the most recent election, but it wasnt counted on election day because, unknown to the Senator, he was temporarily labeled inactive due to a failure to receive a follow up card from the registrar,” Jamie Geller, Murphys communications director, told the Hartford Courant.
“Its discouraging my vote didnt end up counting,” Murphy told the News Junkie website. “Ive learned a lot about active and inactive voters.”
He said he is looking for a house to buy in the state. Murphys official Senate website still lists his residence as Cheshire, CT.
“Theres no question that Chris Murphy is a Connecticut resident and is qualified to represent our state in the U.S. Senate,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Wyman said in a statement.
The U.S. Constitution requires senators inhabit the state they will represent on the day theyre elected but doesnt outline where the members of Congress live during their terms.
