Common Cause in Connecticut Supports Secretary of the State Merrill’s Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Codify Absentee Ballot Expansion & Allow Early Voting; Applauds Smooth Election Amid Unprecedented Pandemic

Expanded Absentee Ballot Voting A Success in CT

 (Hartford, CT) – Today, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced that she will propose a constitutional amendment to allow all registered voters to vote by absentee ballot, as well as allowing early voting in Connecticut. While final results are still coming in, yesterday’s smooth election, amidst a once-in-a-century public health crisis, demonstrated that these commonsense voting reforms work. Common Cause in Connecticut today applauded Secretary of the State Denise Merrill for her handling of the 2020 election amid the COVID-19 pandemic and announced their strong support for her proposed constitutional amendment.

Yesterday, through excellent organization by Secretary of State Denise Merrill and smart steps by the legislature to expand voting access, Connecticut ran a smooth election. Today, Secretary Merrill committed to expanding voter access by proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow all voters to vote by no-excuse absentee ballot and allow for early voting. Common Cause in Connecticut applauds Secretary Merrill not just for her work alongside Governor Lamont and the legislature in adapting to an unprecedented health crisis, but for recognizing the need to expand voting access and ensuring that Connecticut catches up to states across the country on this critical issue. This election made clear that expanding voting access is a win for our democracy – now it’s time to make that expansion permanent.

“We can take action now so all future Connecticut elections are safe, accessible and convenient. From common sense reforms like automatic voter registration to a permanent expansion of non-excuse absentee ballot voting, we must continue to expand voting access at a time when many are actively seeking to restrict it. I look forward to working with the Governor, legislative leadership, and Secretary Merrill to that end in the months ahead,” said Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director of Common Cause in Connecticut.

This election saw historically high absentee ballot voting in Connecticut, with approximately 659,000 people voting by absentee.

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