Connecticut voters will have a question about election laws on their ballot this year. They will be asked if the state legislature should be allowed to amend voting laws to allow no-excuse absentee voting.
Connecticut is one of about a dozen that requires an excuse, like illness or deployment, to use an absentee ballot.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D) said 40% of voters used an absentee ballot when they were universally available in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It helped to improve voter participation. It helped to keep people safe. It's safe, it's convenient, it's reliable," Bysiewicz said. “So please look on the ballot for that question.”
A yes vote on the ballot question will allow the legislature to vote to amend current voting laws. It doesn't mean the state will immediately be able to implement no-excuse absentee voting.
Gov. Ned Lamont (D) supports the measure.
“I want you to have a stake in the election,” Lamont said. “I want you to be part of that process. This has been the hallmark of this country, going back to the Revolutionary War. People fight for the rights of this democracy, and it only works if you participate. And that's why we're doing this.”
A similar ballot measure failed in 2014. Lawmakers attributed that to unclear explanatory text.
A simple majority will pass the ballot measure.
During a meeting of the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee in August, lawmakers debated that very text that will appear at polling places. Senator Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott), ranking member on the GAE Committee, argued that the ballot measure text is too vague.
He asked for specific policies that would come from allowing the legislature to change the Constitution. If the ballot measure passes, lawmakers will be able to create and debate the text during the 2025 session.
GAE co-chair Matt Blumenthal (D-Stamford) said he would not speculate on what legislators would do in the future session.
Connecticut was also one of the last states to allow early, in-person voting. This year, for the first time, voters can cast their ballots at select polling sites 14 days before the election. Early voting is available between Oct. 21- Nov. 3.
Early voting in the primaries yielded an extremely low turnout.
The deadline to register online or by mail to vote in the November 5 general election is October 18. You can register to vote in person during the early voting period or on election day.
This story has been updated to include Republican concerns about the measure.
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