The Democracy Cup
199 people short of a trophy
After elections, Connecticut's Secretary of the State awards the Democracy Cup to the towns with the highest turnout, grouped by size. Greenwich turns out like few towns its size, yet it hasn't won since 2016. The reason is where the state draws its lines.
How the rules have changed
The Democracy Cup has always been awarded by size category, but the state has redrawn the categories more than once. Until 2022 it was awarded only after even-year elections; Secretary Thomas added municipal years starting with 2023.
By registered voters
- Small: under 5,000 voters
- Mid-sized: 5,000 to 14,999
- Large: 15,000 to 34,999
- Cities: more than 35,000 registered voters
By population
- Small: under 5,000
- Mid-sized: 5,000 to 14,999
- Large: 15,000 to 49,999
- Cities: 50,000 and up
By population, redrawn
- Small: under 10,000
- Mid-sized: 10,000 to 30,000
- Large: 30,000 to 65,000
- Cities: more than 65,000
- From 2023, awarded every year, municipal elections included
Greenwich against the cities
The 65,000 line
Census Bureau estimates for July 1 of each year (the newest release, 2025), which the Department of Public Health adopts as the state's official figures. The state sorts each election by the estimate for the year before; each new release also revises earlier years.
Where Greenwich finished, election by election
Under the rules since 2021, using the population figures the state used for each award.
A fairer measure
Turnout is measured against registered voters, so sorting towns by registered voters compares like with like. It's also how the state itself drew the categories in 2014 and before.
Sources: Connecticut Secretary of the State Democracy Cup announcements (2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) and award coverage for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (WTNH, News 12, Patch, Westfair, the towns of Trumbull and Lyme); turnout from the Secretary of the State's election results system (archived on this site); population from the Department of Public Health's annual town estimates (2020 to 2024) and the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 town estimates. Turnout here is ballots cast divided by registered voters, the measure the state uses (its 2025 figures for Trumbull, 52.76%, and Cheshire, 49.08%, match these).