Connecticut Senate Passes Early Voting Bill New System Allows Up To 14

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 1:42 PM

connecticut senate passes early voting bill new system allows up to 14

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut voters will have 14 days to cast their general election ballots early and in person under a bill that cleared the state Senate early Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s... The Senate approved the bill by a 27-7 vote. The action comes six months after voters approved a state constitutional amendment that essentially gave the Democratic-controlled General Assembly the go-ahead to create a new, in-person early voting system. The legislation, which affects general elections, primaries and special elections held on or after Jan. 1, 2024, already cleared the House of Representatives earlier this month.

“Connecticut is finally catching up with 46 other states that currently have early voting,” said state Sen. Mae Flexer, the Democratic co-chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. She said the average number of early voting days in those other states is currently 22. Connecticut’s bill also allows seven early voting days for most primaries and four for presidential primaries and special elections. On Tuesday, the Senate passed a separate elections matter, in the form of a resolution, that places a question on the November 2024 ballot about whether the state constitution should be further changed to... Absentee ballots are currently limited to specific excuses in Connecticut, such as being out of town on Election Day, active military service or sickness, a provision added during the pandemic.

To stream FOX61 on your phone, you need the FOX61 app. Example video title will go here for this video Example video title will go here for this video CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut voters will have 14 days to cast their general election ballots early and in person under a bill that cleared the state Senate early Wednesday and now heads to the... The Senate approved the bill by a 27-7 vote. The action comes six months after voters approved a state constitutional amendment that essentially gave the Democratic-controlled General Assembly the go-ahead to create a new, in-person early voting system.

The legislation, which affects general elections, primaries and special elections held on or after Jan. 1, 2024, already cleared the House of Representatives earlier this month. Click on the flag next to a comment to report it. Once again this holiday season The Day will continue its long-running tradition of publishing its Make a Difference series. The daily series highlights our neighbors who area social service agencies say need our help this holiday season. Got something to say?

Submit a Letter to the Editor. 142 years of history at your fingertips. Search for FREE here. UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 7, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed House Bill 5004 into law. WASHINGTON, D.C.

— On Tuesday, May 30 and into the early hours of May 31, the Connecticut Senate passed two pieces of legislation: House Bill 5004, which would add 14 days of in-person early voting and... During the 2022 midterm elections, Connecticut voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that allows the state to enact in-person early voting, a popular voting option offered by 46 other states and Washington,... The amendment itself did not add the law to the books, but permitted the Legislature to do so. Connecticut is one of only four states — along with Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire — that does not currently offer in-person early voting options for all voters. H.B. 5004 would require towns to offer 14 days of in-person early voting before Election Day in general elections.

The bill heads to the desk of Gov. Ned Lamont (D) for his signature. H.J.R. 1 is a constitutional amendment that would allow no-excuse mail-in voting, a practice permitted in 27 other states and Washington, D.C. Currently, the Connecticut Constitution only allows voters to vote by mail if they qualify with a few specific excuses, including sickness, physical disability or absence from the town on Election Day. H.J.R.

1 will ask Connecticut voters: “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?” The resolution will go before voters in... Connecticut voters will have 14 days to cast their general election ballots early and in person under a bill that cleared the state Senate early Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s desk. The governor said in a statement Wednesday he plans to sign the measure into law in the coming days. The Senate approved the bill by a 27-7 vote. The action comes six months after voters approved a state constitutional amendment that essentially gave the Democratic-controlled General Assembly the go-ahead to create a new, in-person early voting system. The legislation, which affects general elections, primaries and special elections held on or after Jan.

1, 2024, already cleared the House of Representatives earlier this month. Meghan Holden, ACLU of Connecticut, media@acluct.org HARTFORD – The Connecticut Senate today voted to pass a bill to create early voting in the state beginning in 2024. The bill, which previously cleared the House of Representatives, would establish Connecticut’s early voting system for general elections to mandate 14 days of early voting, including weekends, beginning in the 30 days before Election... to 6 p.m. and from 8 a.m.

to 8 p.m. on the last Tuesday and Thursday before the election. Each municipality would have at least one designated early voting polling location, established by the local registrar of voters, and municipalities of more than 20,000 people would have the option to establish additional early... The bill also requires seven days of early voting prior to a primary (except presidential primaries) and four days of early voting prior to a special election or presidential primary. The legislation now awaits action by Governor Lamont. The following is a reaction from ACLU of Connecticut public policy and advocacy director Claudine Constant:

“Connecticut voters want and need inclusive, expansive early voting options that make voting more accessible for every voter, especially voters who already face the biggest barriers to the ballot box. Early voting is good for all of us, and it’s especially good for Black, Latinx, and other voters of color, LGBTQ voters, women, parents, elderly people, and disabled people, because it makes the ballot... If implemented correctly, early voting is a step forward for racial justice, gender equity, and disability rights. Our democracy is only as strong as its accessibility, and today’s vote is a critical step toward better, more inclusive access to the ballot box for Connecticut voters. We urge Governor Lamont to swiftly sign this bill. If it becomes law, we will be carefully monitoring its implementation.”

In November 2022, Connecticut voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot question to allow early voting in Connecticut. The ACLU of Connecticut Rise PAC conducted polling at the time, which showed the majority (52 percent) of Connecticut voters of color say they would vote early at least sometimes, if they had the... Governor Ned Lamont on Wednesday signed legislation into law creating a system of early voting for general elections, special elections, and primaries in Connecticut. The legislation, Public Act 23-5, requires 14 days of early voting for general elections, 7 days of early voting for most primaries, and 4 days of early voting for special elections and presidential preference... It will apply to elections and primaries that occur on or after January 1, 2024. Every municipality in the state will be required to establish at least one early voting location and has the option of establishing more.

Connecticut is one of the last states in the nation to adopt a system of early voting. Now that Governor Lamont has signed this bill, the only states that do not permit early voting are Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. All other states allow it. “Encouraging voters to cast a ballot in elections must be a priority for any functioning democracy, and expanding the hours that voters can cast a ballot will give more people an opportunity to get... “In today’s economy, it is not realistic to expect every eligible voter to travel in person to one specific location during a limited set of hours on a Tuesday to cast their ballot. Nearly every other state in our country has early voting, and I am glad that Connecticut is finally joining them.

Based on the results of last year’s election during which Connecticut voters were asked whether they want early voting, it is clear that this is something people here are demanding. I applaud the bipartisan members of the General Assembly who voted to send this bill to my desk, and I thank the advocates – including former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Secretary... I am glad to put my signature on this bill.” March 20, 2025 | Senate Bills, Introduced Bills, 2025 Bills, Connecticut Legislation Bills, Connecticut This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting.

Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error » This article is based on a bill currently being presented in the state government—explore the full text of the bill for a deeper understanding and compare it to the constitution Proudly supported by sponsors who keep Connecticut articles free in 2025 does not currently support direct sharing.

Connecticut Senate Passes Early Voting Bill New System Allows Up To 14

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