News Clips

"Despite those financial and logistical concerns, written testimony submitted to the panel skewed overwhelmingly in favor of implementing early voting in Connecticut and advocacy groups like the ACLU of Connecticut and the state’s chapter of Common Cause urged lawmakers to approve a longer window for ballot-casting that included weekend hours. 'The data on early voting is clear: more flexibility for voters of all backgrounds means more participation, and more participation makes for a Connecticut that works for all of us,' Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, said."

Jess Zaccagnino, policy counsel for the ACLU of Connecticut, also wants any early voting plan that considers hours, number of polling locations, and accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities. The group supports at least 14 days, with at least one Saturday and one Sunday. She said the group would back even more, noting that 23 is the average number of early voting days in the other 46 states that allow it.

Lawmakers and civil rights advocates called Tuesday for the passage of a Connecticut Voting Rights Act designed to remove barriers to voting in Black and brown communities or for those who do not speak English as a first language. The bill, which will be heard in the Government Administration and Elections Committee, aims to codify in Connecticut elements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation, which has been weakened by recent Supreme Court rulings. During the press conference, Jess Zaccagnino, policy counsel for the ACLU of Connecticut, said communities of color now have less voting access protections than they did in 1965 and Connecticut was no exception.

"People that don't speak English as their first language but want to exercise their right to vote have every right to go there and be able to get it explained to them in their native tongue, if it happens to be Spanish. I will be very frank. Some places are accommodating, others are not." [State Representative] Reyes said that if approved, the proposal, named after the late U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis, could make Connecticut a national leader in ballot access.

Building on protections established in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, advocates said the bill — which lawmakers plan to file in the current legislative session — would require municipalities to provide language-related assistance to voters if their population comprises a certain percentage of people who speak English “less than very well.” It would also prohibit acts of intimidation that might prevent a voter from casting a ballot and create a program to require localities with a record of discrimination to gain the state’s approval before changing election-related policies.

"We shouldn’t settle for a mediocre right to vote early. Fourteen days of early voting should be the bare minimum the state legislature accepts. In our high cost state, hundreds of thousands of voters work jobs with inconvenient, unpredictable hours and long commutes, so it’s crucial that we include early morning, evening, and weekend hours. We also need to make sure voting sites are convenient and accessible, especially for people living with disabilities and in communities of color where voters often face longer lines on Election Day."