Voting Rights

"Life is complicated. Stuff happens. Cars break down. People get sick. Traffic is heavy. The caregiver doesn’t show up. The train from Grand Central is running late. Sleet has made driving hazardous. A ride promised to a frail person doesn’t materialize. Unforeseen problems can and do occur. Then there are folks who, when they see lines snaking out the door, turn around and leave because they can’t afford to wait. Unlike in countries where Election Day is on a weekend or is a national holiday, in this country Election Day is a workday and many people have a small window in which to be away from their workplace." - Michele Jacklin, State Advisory Board Member, Common Cause in Connecticut

"The two leading candidates vying to become Connecticut’s next Secretary of the State, Democrat Stephanie Thomas and Republican Dominic Rapini, met Tuesday night to debate how the state operates its elections and how voters can access the ballot. The meeting offered a clear picture of the differences between the two campaigns and their beliefs on early voting, absentee ballots, voter identification laws..."

Common Cause in Connecticut executive director Cheri Quickmire also joins. Common Cause was one of several advocacy organizations that has pushed for updates to Connecticut's voting protocols, signing a letter to Governor Lamont and legislators earlier this year. They wrote, "Despite Connecticut’s progressive reputation, there are still discriminatory barriers to equal participation in our democracy for voters of color and people whose first language is not English, particularly at the local level. In fact, Connecticut has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation with Black and Latino voters facing limited access to absentee voting, no early voting, and longer voting lines."

“I couldn’t really walk away from this,” said Merrill, who expects to work with another group that filed with the SEEC last month called Vote for Democracy. Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, the election watchdog who is a member of that group, said she expects Vote for Democracy to work hand-in-hand with Yes for Freedom to Vote Early. “We’re looking forward to combining our efforts and make sure this amendment passes at the ballot box and comes back to the General Assembly to hammer out the details,” Quickmire said in a Friday phone interview...

It’s no secret that numerous states are actively taking steps to impede voting access for millions of Americans, which will discourage voting, create more bureaucratic barriers, and depress voter turnout. In recent years Connecticut has taken a different and better path — rightly addressing restrictive laws and making voting easier for all eligible Connecticut citizens.