{"id":199,"date":"2023-06-06T17:55:18","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T21:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/connecticut\/press-releases\/a-win-for-connecticuts-democracy-early-voting-voting-rights-act-passed\/"},"modified":"2023-06-06T17:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T21:55:18","slug":"a-win-for-connecticuts-democracy-early-voting-voting-rights-act-passed","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/connecticut\/press\/a-win-for-connecticuts-democracy-early-voting-voting-rights-act-passed\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cA Win for Connecticut\u2019s Democracy:\u201d Early Voting, Voting Rights Act Passed"},"template":"","class_list":["post-199","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Common Cause in Connecticut applauds the lawmakers and advocates for their tireless work to pass these voting reforms.","featured_image":"","press_type":145,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7882}"],"related_issues":[109,490],"related_work":false,"location":9},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Today the Connecticut Senate and House passed a state budget, including plans for the implementation of both early voting and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nCommon Cause in Connecticut applauds the lawmakers and advocates for their tireless work to pass these voting reforms.<\/span>\r\n\r\nEarly Voting<\/b>\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, the 2023 legislative session was a win for democracy in Connecticut. We\u2019re pleased Connecticut is taking a step toward more accessible and equitable elections by codifying the will of a majority of voters,\u201d said <\/span>Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut.<\/b> \u201cThat said, we are disappointed some crucial components of this initiative that contribute to the success of early voting were left on the cutting room floor.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nBecause of the inadequate funding, much-needed public education on how to vote early will not happen. The lack of funding means municipalities will only be able to open one early voting site, which will disproportionately impact voters in large urban areas and sparsely populated rural towns.<\/span>\r\n\r\nQuickmire says Common Cause in Connecticut agrees with Secretary Stephanie Thomas: \u201cThe directive to fully fund early voting was implicit in voter\u2019s overwhelming support of this ballot measure in 2022. Punting the costs to our cities and towns goes against the spirit of this initiative.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act (CTVRA)<\/b>\r\n\r\n\u201cWith the passage of this bill, Connecticut will have the strongest voting rights protections in the country. This tremendous effort will have a direct result on voters, and particularly Black and Puerto Rican communities, which have historically been sidelined by restrictive voting laws,\u201d said Quickmire. \u201cAcross the country, many state legislatures have passed additional barriers to the ballot box. Today, Connecticut rejected this movement and put voters first.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe CTVRA will change Connecticut\u2019s elections by:<\/span>\r\n