Conn. House approves early voting bill


Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont casts his vote at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 3, 2020. - The United States started voting Tuesday in an election amounting to a referendum on Donald Trump's uniquely brash and bruising presidency, which Democratic opponent and frontrunner Joe Biden urged Americans to end to restore
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont casts his vote at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 3, 2020. – The United States started voting Tuesday in an election amounting to a referendum on Donald Trump’s uniquely brash and bruising presidency, which Democratic opponent and frontrunner Joe Biden urged Americans to end to restore “our democracy.” (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Geraldyn Berry
1:22 PM – Friday, May 5, 2023

Legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday that would provide Connecticut voters 14 days to cast early votes in general elections.

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The legislation was passed on a 107-35 vote, six months after voters approved a constitutional amendment that essentially had given the Democrat-controlled General Assembly permission to establish a new, in-person early voting system. The legislation also allows for seven early voting days for most primaries and four for presidential primaries and special elections.

Representative Matt Blumenthal (D-Conn.) commented that “Not for nothing are we [Connecticuters] called the “land of steady habits.”

“For much of our almost three centuries of existence as a state, we have had some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country,” he said. “And that is a principle that does not align with the values of our state.”

For early voting, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas (D-Conn.) had recommended just 10 days, but House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Conn.) said he wanted to give voters a little more time.

“We’ve sought the most expansive version that grants the most people the most flexibility to vote possible, while also seeking to ensure that the system is administrable,” Ritter said.

Connecticut is one of only four states in the U.S. without pre-Election Day in-person voting, emphasizing the state’s reputation of having some of the strictest voting rules in the U.S.

Early voting supporters claim that time-constrained voters need alternatives for when they may cast ballots, while some detractors have questioned if it is cost-effective. The estimated $4.5 million cost of the early voting effort is anticipated to be covered by the state of Connecticut.

Rep. Gayle Mastrofrancesco and other Republicans have expressed worry about whether the 169 cities and towns in the state could find enough employees to provide 14 days of early voting during the discussion on Thursday.

“We have a hard time trying to finding people to help out just for one day,” Mastrofrancesco said.

Mastrofrancesco had introduced an amendment that called for reducing the number of early voting days to three within a five day window.

House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-Conn.) said that there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

The bill now awaits action in the Senate. It is reported that Governor Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) is expected to sign it into law.

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