Legislative Action to Protect, Expand Voting in Connecticut Urged

Common Cause in Connecticut is urging legislative action on a series of proposal to expand and protect voting in Connecticut. The progressive advocacy organization is urging state residents to support efforts to ensure that the Connecticut General Assembly:

•        provides Early Voting for at least 2 weeks prior to Election Day, including weekends, with evening options—now that Connecticut has become the 47th state to allow Early Voting as of November 8, 2022.

•        adopts, for a required second time, the proposed resolution for Connecticut to join 35 other states that allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting .

•        passes a Connecticut Voting Rights Act since Black and brown voters across the country face the greatest assault on their rights since the era of Jim Crow. Connecticut needs to set the standard for state-level voting rights.

•        bans Foreign Spending on State Ballot Referendums by enacting a specific law to prohibit contributions or expenditures by foreign nationals or entities on ballot measures in Connecticut.

The organization notes that an accessible period during which eligible Connecticut voters can vote early and in person allows more flexibility for voters of all backgrounds to participate in elections. Voters with disabilities, demanding work schedules, limited mobility, child and/or elder care responsibilities, or a lack of reliable transportation should be able to carry out their civic duty by voting absentee without an "excuse," they point out.

Common Cause was among a dozen organizations that co-signed a letter this week urging “Gov. Lamont and lawmakers, to fulfill the will of Connecticut voters. Don’t let steady habits interfere with the call for change endorsed by Connecticut Voters. We implore you to begin this discussion in earnest, and make early voting legislation accessible, fair, and count.”

They noted that “more than a month into the legislative session, serious discussion of early voting has been insufficient. We are disappointed the governor didn’t designate a single dollar to early voting implementation in his budget proposal. It would be a mistake not to prioritize early voting this session.”

Among those signing on to the letter was former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and organizations including ACLU of Connecticut, Connecticut Citizen Action Group, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters of Connecticut, and The Narrative Project.

Until recently, Connecticut had some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation.  Following a vote in support (with 60% of the vote) of a Constitutional Amendment that permits the legislature to set up a system of early voting, that has potentially changed, depending on whether the legislature chooses to act.

Common Cause in Connecticut also supports automatic voter registration for eligible voters beyond the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to other state agencies “to streamline our voting systems--keeping the voter rolls safe, accessible, and up-to-date.”  The organization has also indicated that it is supportive a bill that would launch a  study of Ranked Choice Voting in Connecticut.

Common Cause also states that “Connecticut voters still face limited access to absentee voting, no early voting, and long lines at the polls--especially in Black and brown neighborhoods.”

In advocating for the legislature to approve the package of voting rights legislation, Common Cause suggests that Connecticut “can set the standard for state-level voting rights in 2023.”

Common Cause in Connecticut is a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizens’ lobby working for open, honest, and accountable government for everyone.