Tomorrow: National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, Sept. 17
Common Cause in Connecticut encourages all eligible and current voters to either register or update their registration on National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday, Sept. 17.
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.
Connecticut must lead the way in protecting the right to vote
As states across the country attempt to roll back voting rights and protections, Connecticut must lead the way in protecting the right to vote. But Connecticut has a lot of work to do – as the Center for Public Integrity recently observed, Connecticut has among the most restrictive voting laws outside of the south. Communities of color in Connecticut routinely face long lines and other obstacles when voting. It’s past time we correct these issues and ensure that voters of color, and indeed all voters, are free from voter suppression and...
"The legislature needs to act quickly to pass House Joint Resolution 58 which will begin the process of amending the state constitution. Doing so will allow voters to vote more conveniently, as was the case when more than 650,000 Connecticut residents voted by absentee ballot in the November 2020 election."
NBC CT: Officials Call On Lawmakers To Change Election Laws
Connecticut has $8.5 million to update its voting system, but it will be up to lawmakers to improve access to the ballot. When it comes to voting rights, Connecticut is still one of the most restrictive states in the nation, according to election officials.
“It’s embarrassing we are so far behind other states,” Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said. Election officials say there are 44 states that allow no-excuse absentee ballots or early voting, or both. “We are not a state that allows easy access for the voters...
Tonight’s verdicts were a step toward police accountability. But they don’t change the fact of George Floyd’s death. They don’t change the horrifying circumstances of his death.
Opinion: CT not immune to fight against voting rights
Across the nation, Republican legislators are implementing harsh new restrictions to make it harder for people of color, young people and lower-income people to vote. As an Arizona state legislator explained, “we don’t mind putting security measures in that won’t let everybody vote.” In a display of twisted logic, GOP lawmakers claim that making it more difficult to vote is needed to restore voter confidence in the integrity of elections, confidence they themselves sabotaged, mainly among voters in their own party, by relentless and...
Connecticut Committee Takes Steps To Expand Voter Rights
Voting rights have been a hot topic of discussion since Election Day 2020. Monday, Connecticut lawmakers took the first steps to try to expand voting rights.
“Obviously we’re all about getting more access for voters across Connecticut,” Carol Reimers, president of the Connecticut League of Women Voters, said.
Reimers said they support bills that would expand automatic voter registration, allow individuals on parole to vote, make Election Day a holiday and expand voting rights.
Connecticut advocates call for expanding voting rights for parolees and permanently allowing absentee ballot drop boxes outside town halls
“Even in a progressive state like Connecticut, we have some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country,’' Quickmire said. “We have a chance to change that this session by passing common-sense reforms like automatic voter registration, restoring voting rights for people on parole, and passing a Voting Rights Act to root out racial discrimination in voting. Forty-four other states have early voting, at least 29 have no-excuse absentee voting, and 23 have implemented automatic voter registration. It’s past time we join them.”
