News Clips

“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 election, when local officials might be conducting necessary work between the close of an early voting period and Election Day.

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, because it will give them the opportunity to vote when they can."

“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.”

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.

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 it comes to casting our ballots."

“Voter approval of the early voting amendment is a huge win for Connecticut. Voting should never be an ordeal for any citizen; on November 8 Connecticut made it much easier for citizens to exercise their most fundamental democratic right,” Diana Evans, Common Cause in Connecticut Advisory Board member, said.