Press Release
Voting Rights Group: Too Soon to Abandon Early Voting
"Without a high-stakes election or any funding to educate the public, it is too soon for the Secretary of the State to abandon early voting."
Press
Media Contacts
David Vance
National Media Strategist
dvance@commoncause.org
240-605-8600
Katie Scally
Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
408-205-1257
Common Cause’s network of national and state democracy reform experts are frequent media commentators. To talk with one of our experts, please reach out to any member of the press team above.
News Clip
CT lawmakers promote bill aimed at assisting non-English speakers and increasing voter turnout
"People that don't speak English as their first language but want to exercise their right to vote have every right to go there and be able to get it explained to them in their native tongue, if it happens to be Spanish. I will be very frank. Some places are accommodating, others are not."
[State Representative] Reyes said that if approved, the proposal, named after the late U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis, could make Connecticut a national leader in ballot access.
[State Representative] Reyes said that if approved, the proposal, named after the late U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis, could make Connecticut a national leader in ballot access.
News Clip
Advocates and lawmakers make push for state-level voters’ rights act
Building on protections established in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, advocates said the bill — which lawmakers plan to file in the current legislative session — would require municipalities to provide language-related assistance to voters if their population comprises a certain percentage of people who speak English “less than very well.”
It would also prohibit acts of intimidation that might prevent a voter from casting a ballot and create a program to require localities with a record of discrimination to gain...
It would also prohibit acts of intimidation that might prevent a voter from casting a ballot and create a program to require localities with a record of discrimination to gain...
Press Release
Event: Civil and Voting Rights Groups Urge Legislature to Pass Connecticut Voting Rights Act
Press conference on the Connecticut Voting Rights Act on Tuesday, January 31 at 10 am ET.
News Clip
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy: Don’t let CT stay an electoral backwater
"We shouldn’t settle for a mediocre right to vote early. Fourteen days of early voting should be the bare minimum the state legislature accepts. In our high cost state, hundreds of thousands of voters work jobs with inconvenient, unpredictable hours and long commutes, so it’s crucial that we include early morning, evening, and weekend hours. We also need to make sure voting sites are convenient and accessible, especially for people living with disabilities and in communities of color where voters often face longer lines on Election Day."
News Clip
Dan Haar: $37M in public cash for a CT governor race? Could happen
Cheri Quickmire, executive director of the watchdog and advocacy group Common Cause in Connecticut, is wary of dramatic hikes in the dollar amounts. Looney’s idea of $18.7 million for a governor campaign “seems extreme,” she said, agreeing with Candelora, “and I think that it invites challenges to keeping the program a clean money program.”
News Clip
Secretary of the State Thomas urges 10 days of early voting
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas made her first policy recommendation Thursday, urging legislators to pass a law authorizing 10 days of early voting, beginning with the 2023 municipal elections.
News Clip
Proposal would allow term limits for CT governor, add voter initiatives
Republicans in the General Assembly have proposed legislation that would allow voters to force statewide balloting on selected issues, recall elected officials and create term limits for the governor.
"These are not things that ever come out of committees here," Quickmire said. "Consider the time it takes to make anything happen that involves the Constitution. People have the ability to elect their direct representatives and make their point in that way. We at Common Cause are very interested in having as many people as possible...
"These are not things that ever come out of committees here," Quickmire said. "Consider the time it takes to make anything happen that involves the Constitution. People have the ability to elect their direct representatives and make their point in that way. We at Common Cause are very interested in having as many people as possible...
News Clip
How Long Should Connecticut Voters Get For Early Voting?
“Studies of states with early voting days on the Sunday before the election have found that the day that was by far the most popular early voting day for Black voters was those Sundays, showing that this is also a racial justice issue, making sure that whatever early voting plan we have is inclusive,” Zaccagnino said.
Thomas said she has found broad consensus that some form of weekend voting should be included in the early voting period, though she had yet to settle on whether it should be the weekend immediately prior to an...
Thomas said she has found broad consensus that some form of weekend voting should be included in the early voting period, though she had yet to settle on whether it should be the weekend immediately prior to an...
News Clip
CT Voters Adopt Early Voting Amendment
Helen Humphreys, communications coordinator for the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, noted the biggest drawback of single-day voting is lack of access. She thinks cities will see direct benefits to adding early voting.
"I've voted in Suffield, and I've voted in Bridgeport, and the experience was very different," Humphreys recounted. "In Suffield, you walk in and out; in Bridgeport, I waited in line for over an hour to vote. So, I think especially for those in cities and high population areas, this is going to be a huge benefit,...
"I've voted in Suffield, and I've voted in Bridgeport, and the experience was very different," Humphreys recounted. "In Suffield, you walk in and out; in Bridgeport, I waited in line for over an hour to vote. So, I think especially for those in cities and high population areas, this is going to be a huge benefit,...
News Clip
Early Voting Policy Goes to Legislature Following Passage of Ballot Question
“Based on the information I have so far, I would expect us to be somewhere in that few-days to five-days-window,” [Connecticut Secretary of the State Elect] Thomas said. “I expect to start Day 1 in January with a plan in hand and I will be speaking with legislators… before January so that we can hit the ground running with something that can be implemented here in Connecticut.”
News Clip
Opinion: I never show my ID to vote. Here’s why.
I have an ID. I could have shown it.
But what about the person who comes in during their lunch break, who doesn’t have an ID, and who doesn’t have 20 minutes to wait around for the poll worker to locate the proper form? Or who feels so intimidated they simply give up?
Their vote—which they are just as entitled to cast as I am, and as you are—wouldn’t be counted. And that is wrong.
But what about the person who comes in during their lunch break, who doesn’t have an ID, and who doesn’t have 20 minutes to wait around for the poll worker to locate the proper form? Or who feels so intimidated they simply give up?
Their vote—which they are just as entitled to cast as I am, and as you are—wouldn’t be counted. And that is wrong.
News Clip
CT Insider: Connecticut residents approve early voting ballot question
Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause Connecticut, a voting advocacy group, said Wednesday that she's pleased with the victory.
"When faced with the opportunity to strengthen our freedom to vote, people are resoundingly answering in the affirmative," Quickmire said. "We will continue to wait for every vote to be counted and for every voice to be heard, but we are pleased to see such strong support for early voting. These early returns show people from all corners of this state believe everyone should have options...
"When faced with the opportunity to strengthen our freedom to vote, people are resoundingly answering in the affirmative," Quickmire said. "We will continue to wait for every vote to be counted and for every voice to be heard, but we are pleased to see such strong support for early voting. These early returns show people from all corners of this state believe everyone should have options...