Connecticut’s Secretary of the State has thrown a lifeline to voters who sent in absentee ballots without a signature. Republicans say the lifeline is not fair to all voters.
Local officials in some Connecticut towns began opening absentee ballots four days before Election Day. Democratic Secretary of the State Denise Merrill issued guidance to the officials saying voters who didn’t sign the inner envelopes should be notified that their ballot is invalid.
She says that would give them an opportunity to vote in person at the polls.
Len Fasano is the Senate Republican leader.
He says that would be unfair to some voters.
“We are not being fair to every voter because some towns are going to tell their people to go correct it and other towns are going to say sorry you lost out,” Fasano said.
Merrill’s counselor Gabe Rosenberg says not many people would be affected.
“Not a large number of voters don’t sign the inner envelope. And we have also done historic outreach to voters this year to make sure every voter was aware of the process,” he said.
The actual counting of the absentee ballots won’t happen until Tuesday. More than half a million Connecticut voters have sent in absentee ballots because of the pandemic.
