by Thomas Breen
Justin Farmer marked Jamaican Independence Day and the 61st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on Thursday by casting a ballot — for himself in a west-side state rep race.
He also encouraged fellow New Haveners to take advantage of early voting, which began on Monday.
“It’s important to vote,” he said. “People have died for the opportunity to vote. Whether you engage in politics or not, politics will be done to you.”
What about in the Democratic gubernatorial primary between two-term incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont and challenger Josh Elliott? Did Farmer — who has expressed his ambivalence about the two candidates — plan on voting in that race, too?
“I plead the 92nd!” Farmer said with a laugh.
Farmer, a former Hamden Legislative Council member, is running to represent the 92nd State House District in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary. He’s facing off incumbent State Rep. Pat Dillon and fellow challenger Eli Sabin.
New Haven has two early voting spots: the second floor of City Hall and 1 Wintergreen Ave. on Southern Connecticut State University’s (SCSU) campus.
“Happy Independence Day. Shout out, big up Jamaica,” Farmer said while standing with a group of campaign supporters more than 75 feet away from the entrance of 1 Wintergreen Ave.
Farmer noted that there are more native-born Jamaicans outside of Jamaica than inside. “As a diasporic people,” Farmer added, this day is an important one for plenty of people in Connecticut — including Farmer. “There’s a lot of Jamaicans here in New Haven.”
He also spoke about how Thursday happens to be the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark piece of 1960s Civil Rights legislation.
Farmer said his mom is “70-plus,” and his father is “85 years young,” Farmer said. “His father did sharecropping in North Carolina. To me, as a first-gen American, the majority of the people in my family never had the opportunity to vote.” And “to a lot of us, the criminal injustice system … has found ways to disenfranchise us.”
Soon thereafter, he and a small group of supporters headed into 1 Wintergreen Ave. to cast their ballots.