Some Connecticut Democrats want to make it easier for incarcerated eligible voters to cast their ballots.
The bill would ensure that state residents who are unaware that they are eligible to vote, even if they’ve had a felony arrest, get an opportunity to vote, according to proponents.
The goal is to expand voter participation, said state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, the co-chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, and sponsor of the bill.
“There are thousands of people in every election who have been convicted of no crime whatsoever, who have not had a chance to have the accusation against them tested, or who were never convicted of a felony,” he said.
“They simply do not have the proper arrangement in our prison and jail system to allow them to do that,” Blumenthal said.
The bill would require the Secretary of the State to provide absentee ballot applications for use within the state Department of Corrections facilities. That would ensure that eligible prisoners can use absentee ballots and vote in all elections.
Advocates have urged lawmakers to act on the bill before the session ends next month.
