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.
Civil Rights Advocates Push for a Connecticut Voting Rights Act
Lawmakers and civil rights advocates called Tuesday for the passage of a Connecticut Voting Rights Act designed to remove barriers to voting in Black and brown communities or for those who do not speak English as a first language.
The bill, which will be heard in the Government Administration and Elections Committee, aims to codify in Connecticut elements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation, which has been weakened by recent Supreme Court rulings.
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.
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...
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."
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.”
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.
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...
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...
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,...
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.”
