Opposite parties, shared duty: Two sisters oversee North Canaan elections

NORTH CANAAN — Two sisters representing opposing political parties are serving side by side as North Canaan’s registrars of voters, proving that partisan labels take a back seat when it comes to ensuring fair elections.

Rosemary Keilty represents the Republicans and Patricia Keilty the Democrats, but there are no political delineations when it comes to serving the public. They acknowledge that while they may have some differing views when it comes to governmental issues, they have no trouble working together to ensure proper voting procedures are maintained. “Our job has nothing to do with our political affiliations,” Patricia said. “Coming from different parties is not an issue.”

Patricia said she was always the outsider in her family when it came to politics. She had Democratic leanings in a Republican household, “but it was OK because we were always taught to think for ourselves.”

Patricia’s late husband, Lawrence Potts, was chairman of the Democratic Town Committee and the registrar. He tapped her to be a poll worker in 2004 and then she became a certified moderator. When he died, she temporarily stepped in as registrar, which then became a permanent post. When Republican registrar Anna McGuire died in 2022, Patricia approached Rosemary, who had retired as principal of North Canaan Elementary School, to see if she’d be interested in serving. She agreed.

The arrangement works well because both of them are strong advocates for voting rights. They work to facilitate registrations, explain voting procedures and help residents understand when and how to cast ballots.

“We want to make sure everyone understands their options,” Rosemary said.

Both also believe that voting is a privilege and every effort should be made to participate.

“It’s your responsibility,” Rosemary said. “So many people fought hard to get the vote for everyone,” she said, referring to earlier periods when only landowners and white men were afforded the right. “Maybe we have to work harder in our schools to show how to respect that.”

Asked about a federal proposal that would require individuals to show a birth certificate or passport before voting, they expressed opposition. “That’s like instituting a poll tax,” Patricia said. “That’s not necessary. There are plenty of ways to show identification. We want to enable people to vote.”

They both chuckled recalling some of the questions that have been posed to them. “Someone asked me if they could register Republican if I signed them up,” Patricia said. Another wanted to know if they had to vote Democratic because they’d registered with that party.

They are certified registrars, having passed the required tests given by the University of Connecticut. While they are comfortable most of the time carrying out their duties, they were faced with a new experience after the last municipal election in November when the first selectman’s race required a recount because the initial margin of victory was three votes in favor of Jesse Bunce.

That automatically triggered a recount, which is a complex undertaking that must be done with precision. Bunce ultimately won.

“We really had to study up,” Patricia said. “There is such a distrust of elections, so we wanted to be transparent and follow every detail.” They received help from the Secretary of State’s office and other registrars. It was also the first time new tabulators were used, but they carried out the procedure smoothly, and in the end the margin was two votes.

“That was a perfect example that every vote counts,” she said, giving praise to the crew of poll workers who are efficient in carrying out their duties and treating voters with respect.

There are 2,177 registered voters in North Canaan as of this week.

The sisters said registrars around the state use the Connecticut Voter Registration System to tie in with the Secretary of State’s office and explained all the information they are able to access. The system will soon be updated to another called Total Vote.

As a former teacher, Rosemary enjoys seeing her former students coming in to vote. Several of them have appeared on the ballot in local elections and serve as employees and volunteer board members of the town.

In their spare time, the two are voracious readers, with historical fiction as their favorite genre. Patricia attended graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, after attending Smith College, and stayed on in California for several years. She studied medieval Spanish and Portuguese literature and loves language. She is an artist and jewelry maker.

Rosemary attended Manhattanville College, majoring in English. Her father suggested she take education courses as well, but she didn’t.

After substituting, she realized teaching was for her and went back to get her certification, going on to have a successful career as a teacher and administrator at NCES.

The two expressed their pleasure at being registrars. “Voting is critical to our democracy and we play a small part,” Rosemary said. “It’s an honor to do it.”