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If you’re wondering what turnout is like in Bridgeport…well so are Bridgeport officials. The Registrar’s Office at 3:30 p.m. did not have preliminary numbers available for turnout in the city.

A visit to several of the East Side polling places indicates, however, that turnout will likely be low in the Park City. At JFK Campus on Palisade Avenue only about 200 people had voted between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.

At Luis Munoz Marin School on Helen Street roughly 100 or so people had voted. Democratic Registrar Santa Ayala said although numbers are not yet available, moderators have reported very little traffic at the city’s other 23 polling stations throughout the day.

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Greenwich Republicans and Democrats will be hosting rival primary-day parties as the final poll results are announced tonight.

The Republican Town Committee is hosting a “Victory Party” starting at 8 p.m. on the second floor of the Cos Cob CVS Pharmacy complex at 122 E. Putnam Ave.

Across town, the Democratic Town Committee will be holding a “Unity Party” starting at 8 p.m. at the Greenwich Lobster House, 2 South Water St., Byram.

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District 8 (Central Middle School) regained its lead over District 5 (Riverside School) with highest number of voters as of 3 p.m.

According to unofficial totals from the town, between Republicans and Democrats, the polling place with the highest total of voters is District 8 (Central Middle School) with 387. That’s over 16 percent of its 2,448 registered GOP and Dem voters. District 3 (Western Middle School) continues to see the fewest voters, with 79, or just below 9 percent of its 896 registered GOPers and Dems, voting.

A total of 2,041 Republicans, or over 15 percent of the 13,448 total registered GOPers in town, have cast ballots at the town’s 12 polling places. For Dems, 1,230 voters, or about 13 percent of the 9,126 Dems registered in town, have voted.

Combining Republicans and Democrats, 3,278, or about 14.5 percent of the 22,574 registered GOPers and Dems, have voted. As of 11 a.m. the state average was 6 percent according to AP reports.

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There are also a couple of comments that catch a reporter’s ear during an event such as an election that add some color to the event.

In Greenwich three of those sparked my attention:

As a man entered the North Street School polling station he was surprised by the lack of other voters.

“Not many here, you think there would be with all that Tea Party stuff,” he said to himself in reference to the conservative Tea Party activists who have rallied during the last year against what they argue is excessive government spending.

At another polling station an election worker directed a voter by cheerfully noting, “Republicans on the left, Democrats on the right,” referring of course to the location of the tables where the two parties voters would go and not to their political views.

My favorite though is the two women – possibly mother and daughter – who approached one polling area.

“Which run is running for mayor?” said the older woman in a voice — that to my  ears — sounded like a character from Seinfeld. “It isn’t the mayor,” the younger one replied with just a slight hint of irritation.

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In Ridegfield, voting was slown at mid-afternoon.

Democrat Registrar of Voters Cynthia Bruno said that by 2:50 p.m., 593 Democrats, or about 13 percent of the town’s registered Democrats, had cast their ballots.

The Republican voter turn-out, while higher, was still below 20 percent. Bruno said about 1,175 Republicans, or about 19.5 percent had cast a ballot by 2:50 p.m.

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By Brian Lockhart

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Simmons stopped by the polling place at the Judson School in Watertown this afternoon, part of his day-long effort to “put my foot in each district” before the polls close this primary day.

He got a warm welcome from Phil Mauriello, who served in the Army from 1962 to 1967.

Mauriello noted he is a “Vietnam-era veteran.”

“I don’t want to get stuck like (Richard) Blumenthal,” Mauriello told reporters, referring to a New York Times story from May that reported on the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee’s having told the public on a few occasions that he served IN Vietnam rather than stateside in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

Blumenthal has said he misspoke. It appears the Vietnam controversy has helped cut into his once impressive lead in the polls. The candidate who took credit for the report – Republican nominee Linda McMahon, whom Simmons has a long-shot chance of beating today – is within 10 points of Blumenthal in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

But Simmons believes his actual military experience would serve him well in a general election against Blumenthal, and Mauriello agreed.

“You’re the only one who’s gonna beat Dick in my book,” he told Simmons.

I wandered inside the school to talk to some of the poll workers. When I mentioned I was trailing Simmons for the day, a woman who was checking names of voters and claimed to be a longtime Democrat said she would vote for him.

I asked her about Blumenthal and she scrunched up her face and said she used to support him. But she said if Simmons does not win the GOP primary she would vote for Blumenthal over McMahon in November.

She declined to give me her name.

A few minutes later she wandered out to the parking lot and over to Simmons.

“I’m the Democrat who wants to shake your hand,” she said. “You’re the only candidate who is decent.”

They chatted for a bit, and then another poll worker came out to collect her, scolding her for interacting with a candidate.

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Polling officials at the municipal center in Bethel report that few voters are heading to the polls this afternoon. As of about 2 p.m., about 20 percent of registered Republicans for the district – about 131 residents – had voted so far. For the Democrats, about 10 percent – or 74 voters – had cast ballots as of 2 p.m. in the town’s fourth district that covers the town center.

Town resident Anthony Sorge, 28, who visited the polls to cast his ballot in the Democratic gubernatorial race between Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont. Sorge said he wasn’t surprised by the low turn out – he was the only voter at the poll at the time – becuase of all the negative advertising in recent weeks.

“I think it just turns people off from politics,” he said.