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Proposals For Early In Person Voting In The State Of Connecticut

Leo Migdal
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proposals for early in person voting in the state of connecticut

At the November 2022 general election, Connecticut voters approved H.J. 59 (2021), a constitutional amendment authorizing the state legislature to enact early in-person voting. One year prior, in preparation for a scenario in which voters approved the amendment, the Office of the Secretary of the State contracted with the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) to produce... CEIR reviewed laws across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted surveys and interviews with several state election officials, and researched scholarly literature and administrative data on early in-person voting. We developed four early in-person voting policy models tailored to Connecticut, with recommendations in each building on the last and generally increasing in terms of the number of early voting days, hours, required locations,... This report outlines our recommendations and elaborates on the findings from our supporting research.

Early in-person voting improves both voter access and election integrity. Not only does it offer greater opportunity for voter participation, but it also extends the period for detecting and mitigating any issues that may arise during the election. As of December 2022, 46 states and Washington, D.C., have some form of early in-person voting, with each state using a framework suited to its unique needs. As legislators and officials consider possibilities for early in-person voting in Connecticut, several decisions will need to be made. This report provides information to better inform those decisions in service of the people of Connecticut. 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. Last fall, Connecticut voters were able to cast their ballots in the presidential race early, thanks to a state constitutional amendment passed by referendum in 2022.

For 14 days leading up to Election Day, Nov. 5, in-person voting was available in at least one place in every Connecticut community. But many of those communities say providing that service to residents in their towns and cities wasn’t cheap. This year, they’re asking the legislature to allocate more funding to support early voting in the years to come. On Friday, the legislature’s Appropriations Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 17, which lays out the request. While the proposal doesn’t specify an exact figure, language in the bill calls for the state to “make municipalities whole for the increased cost of administering early voting.”

Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, said in written testimony that the state originally gave each municipality $10,500 to cover the costs of early voting, but later reduced that... “This funding failed to fully reimburse municipalities for the actual costs of implementing early voting,” Gara wrote. She pointed specifically to staffing, which can be both costly and challenging, she said. “In small towns, election workers and registrars of voters work on a part-time basis and often have other jobs leaving them unavailable to staff polling locations.” 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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As of Friday, Jan. 20, Connecticut lawmakers have introduced at least six bills outlining an early in-person voting process for the state, one of only four without the option. Along with Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire, Connecticut does not currently offer in-person early voting options for all voters. During the 2022 midterm elections, Connecticut voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution that allows the state to enact in-person early voting. The amendment itself did not add the law to the books, but permitted the Connecticut Legislature to do so.

(A Connecticut resident, representing herself in court, filed a lawsuit challenging the ballot measure, asserting that once passed, she would be “in danger of losing substantial rights, power and privilege over ballot security and... 15, a court dismissed the case.) Now, there are several competing proposals before the Legislature to implement the new procedure. Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas (D) recommended 10 days of early voting, starting with the 2023 municipal elections. House Bill 5721 would create a scheme that does just that. Other proposals from Democratic lawmakers include two weeks of early voting, two full weekends of early voting and a general statute change allowing for early voting.

Two bills filed by Republican legislators also add an early in-person voting period, but with numerous restrictions. House Bill 5722 would only permit two days of early voting, but not the Sunday or Monday before Election Day. House Bill 5428 would only permit a narrow list of qualified absentee voters to take advantage of early voting, with none offered the four days prior to Election Day. There is a Democratic trifecta in Connecticut’s state government; the more generous proposals for early voting will likely advance this session. Track the status of the bills here: H.B. 5721, H.B.

5703, H.B 5713, H.B. 5004, H.B. 5722 and H.B. 5428. As of Friday, Jan. 20, Massachusetts lawmakers have introduced several proposals to end felony disenfranchisement through a state constitutional amendment.

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 HARTFORD, Conn. — The process is underway to implement early voting in Connecticut and Wednesday, lawmakers heard input from the public. About 60 people signed up to speak at the more than five-hour-long public hearing to voice their opinions on what early voting should look like in the state.

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