News Clips

"The legislature needs to act quickly to pass House Joint Resolution 58 which will begin the process of amending the state constitution. Doing so will allow voters to vote more conveniently, as was the case when more than 650,000 Connecticut residents voted by absentee ballot in the November 2020 election."

Connecticut has $8.5 million to update its voting system, but it will be up to lawmakers to improve access to the ballot. When it comes to voting rights, Connecticut is still one of the most restrictive states in the nation, according to election officials. “It’s embarrassing we are so far behind other states,” Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said. Election officials say there are 44 states that allow no-excuse absentee ballots or early voting, or both. “We are not a state that allows easy access for the voters to vote,” Merrill said.

Across the nation, Republican legislators are implementing harsh new restrictions to make it harder for people of color, young people and lower-income people to vote. As an Arizona state legislator explained, “we don’t mind putting security measures in that won’t let everybody vote.” In a display of twisted logic, GOP lawmakers claim that making it more difficult to vote is needed to restore voter confidence in the integrity of elections, confidence they themselves sabotaged, mainly among voters in their own party, by relentless and baseless claims about a stolen election.

Voting rights have been a hot topic of discussion since Election Day 2020. Monday, Connecticut lawmakers took the first steps to try to expand voting rights. “Obviously we’re all about getting more access for voters across Connecticut,” Carol Reimers, president of the Connecticut League of Women Voters, said. Reimers said they support bills that would expand automatic voter registration, allow individuals on parole to vote, make Election Day a holiday and expand voting rights.