News Clips

Rep. Stephanie Thomas, D-Norwalk, filed papers Tuesday that make her the first Democrat to declare a candidacy for Secretary of the State, a statewide office that will be open in 2022. Thomas, a first-term lawmaker who advocated for early voting and no-excuse absentee ballots as vice chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, scheduled a formal announcement Wednesday morning in Norwalk.

"Citizens might have expected the issue of foreign interference in all U.S. elections to have been banned by federal law. True, foreign nationals are barred from donating to U.S. political candidates or committees. But a recent legal decision by the Federal Election Commission confirmed that neither Congress nor the FEC has acted to close the federal loophole that permits foreign spending to influence the outcome of state and local referenda."

Connecticut voters are eligible to cast absentee ballots during the coming Nov. 2 municipal elections as a result of legislative action which once again expanded voting options due to the pandemic, state and local officials advised Tuesday.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced in June she would not seek a fourth term, making her the only constitutional officer not expected to run for reelection. The first stirrings of a primary race have begun to take shape in the weeks since.

Newhallville voters deserve to have at least one of New Haven's four safe, secure absentee ballot drop boxes immediately moved to their neighborhood. Newhallville is the only New Haven ward with a Sept. 14, 2021 local primary election and especially with the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus on the rise, residents should be able to participate in the election safely.

The promise of a special session offers a potential lifeline for any number of bills that do not pass before the deadline of midnight tonight. For instance, [Speaker of the House] Ritter said SB 5 would be included in the eventual implementer bill. That proposal, a host of updates to Connecticut voting laws, passed the Senate but was never raised by the House. Ritter said that might not be the only thing that comes back. “We’ll be going over the list of things that both chambers want,” [Senate President] Looney said of the coming special session. “But certainly Senate Bill 5 is a high priority for us.”