Elizabeth Regan

East Lyme election officials said 27 or fewer votes would trigger a recount of the first selectman’s race based on state law. The difference this time, with results still unofficial, is 93. #CTelection @thedayct

Absentee ballots were in at 10:30, but totals remain unofficial. It looks like Democrat Dan Cunningham will end the Republicans’ 16 year reign with 2,747 votes to Republican Anne Santoro’s 2,654. #CTElection @thedayct

Based on SOTS statistics through Oct. 31, unaffiliated voters make up 47.9% of registered voters in East Lyme. On the ballot, only five candidates - or 12.5% - are unaffiliated, and all of them have aligned themselves with a major party #CTElection @thedayct

Turnout by 2 p.m. reached 20.4% in East Lyme, where voters throughout the election season have expressed concerns about the pace of business and residential growth in town. It's a sentiment expressed across party lines, though solutions differ #CTElection @thedayct

Dem Registrar Wendi Sims said morning showers may have kept people away. Also, those who left for work before polls opened or just arrived home after a long night - like those tending to Millstone’s intensive outage operations - may mean more voters later. #ctelection @thedayct

Turnout in East Lyme by 11 a.m. was 11.3%, said Democratic Registrar Wendi Sims. The last municipal election garnered about 43% of registered voters by the end of the night. #ctelection @thedayct

In what turned out to be a referendum on overdevelopment, voters in East Lyme voted decisively to purchase 255 acres of open space (1,450 to 167) and to bond up to $2.35 million to pay for it (1,530 to 116). About 12% of registered voters came out to the polls. @thedayct

The Board of Trustees in charge of the private, nonprofit library in Old Lyme refused to remove two books from the young adult shelves, telling parents it’s their job — not the library’s — to limit access to content they may find objectionable @thedayct https://t.co/eSNvzo3O8E

State Sen. Martha Marx talks about driving-induced anxiety on I-95 at the groundbreaking for the $148 million, 4.5-year highway reconstruction project in East Lyme @thedayct https://t.co/Efo2SDmCK8

State Rep. Holly Cheeseman stands with state transportation officials for groundbreaking of the $148 million, 4.5-year I-95 reconstruction project, citing it as an example of towns east of the river finally getting some much needed respect and attention from the state. https://t.co/nMV6zrpQrF

An overnight fire at CT Scrap in Montville was the third multi-alarm fire at the business in less than 3 years, says Chesterfield Fire Co PIO Steve Frischling. His video shows what they found on arrival. Tankers came from at least 6 towns. @thedayct https://t.co/n3ywRL2YRI

Kayaker Matt Stone of Chester caught this footage from the water near the Gold Star Bridge boat launch @thedayct https://t.co/EyGqSU5Cit

Fire at a salon on Green Street was pouring smoke onto Broad before firefighters began to get it under control this afternoon. https://t.co/ETyi5KIiQU

The numbers are preliminary and missing Montville, but it looks like the third time’s the charm for Martha Marx. The numbers have her at 17,530 votes to Jerry Labriola Jr’s 15,571. @thedayct

US Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd, makes a stop at New London High School with fellow Dems including Stephanie Thomas for SOTS, Martha Marx for 20th district state Senate and state Rep. Anthony Nolan for re-election in the 39th. Here’s what Courtney had to say about Marx @thedayct https://t.co/Waxry6vpns

Jo-el Fernandez, an East Lyme Democrat, voted to preserve democracy and abortion rights. “I’m happy we don’t have a lot of extremism in CT, it seems, compared to the rest of the country.” While she voted for candidates other than Dems in the past, she didn’t this time. @thedayct

At the East Lyme High School polling place, party-line Republican Paula Beckwith ticked off her reasons for voting: gas prices, food costs and a generally bad economy. “People can’t live this way anymore,” she said. You’re kicking the hardworking people in the gut.” @thedayct