Hearing Friday at 11am on bill to prevent foreign interference in state referenda and elections 

Noting that “Connecticut has among the most restrictive voting laws outside of the south,” 75 good government groups, faith leaders, civil rights organizations and labor leaders today urged General Assembly leaders to pass legislation that would

1. ban foreign spending on state ballot referendums —such as on the November 8, 2022 ballot question where voters will decide if our state will finally allow early voting;
2. enact a Connecticut Voting Rights Act to give Black, Brown and other voters of color additional protections against voter suppression; and
3. create a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) task force to study the implementation of RCV for state, federal and municipal elections in Connecticut.

The groups’ letter observes that Connecticut law currently restricts ballot campaign contributions from domestic sources, “But it is silent on funds from foreign sources.”

“The question on Connecticut’s November 8, 2022 statewide ballot where voters will decide if our state will finally allow Early Voting could become a target of antidemocratic foreign actors. We cannot allow this to happen,” the letter says.

This Friday, March 18 at 11am, the Government Administration and Elections Committee will hold a hearing on legislation that would prevent foreign interference in state referenda and elections. A livestream will be available đây. 

In today’s letter, the groups also urge a “Connecticut Voting Rights Act to give Black, Brown and other voters of color additional protections against voter suppression. To this day, Black, Brown and other voters of color in Connecticut routinely encounter long lines and other obstacles when voting.”

The letter also asks legislative leaders to prioritize legislation creating a Task Force to Study Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) – a method of voting that allows voters to rank their preferred candidates rather than selecting only one. Also known as “instant runoff” voting, RCV is used statewide in Maine and in dozens of municipalities throughout the country. It ensures that winning candidates receive at least majority support, rather than being elected by only a plurality that is sometimes as low as 35%. RCV can lợi ích cho cử tri và ứng cử viên da màu; and it can also cải thiện tính lịch sự của chiến dịch, bởi vì các ứng cử viên cũng đang tìm cách trở thành “lựa chọn thứ hai” của những cử tri chủ yếu ủng hộ đối thủ của họ.

“Connecticut voters deserve the absolute best version of democracy; that’s why we – a coalition of good government groups and other organizations who share this vision – are writing today to strongly urge our legislative leaders to prioritize these three ‘freedom to vote’ reforms from day one of the 2022 regular legislative session,” the letter says.

Read the full letter đây.

The letter was signed by groups including:

Nguyên nhân phổ biến ở Connecticut
Action Together Connecticut
Action Together New Haven County
Action Together Northern Fairfield County
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Connecticut Chapters
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Connecticut
Black and Brown United in Action
BLM 860
Bridgeport Thế hệ bây giờ bỏ phiếu
Trung tâm hợp tác tư pháp
Communications Workers of America Local 1298
Congregation Mishkan Israel
Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges
Connecticut AFL-CIO
Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans
Nhóm hành động công dân Connecticut
Connecticut Federation of Democratic Women
Liên đoàn cử tri bảo tồn Connecticut
Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF)
Connecticut Working Families
ConnPIRG
ConnPIRG Students
CT Black Women
Đường bờ biển CT không thể chia cắt
Danbury Area Justice Network
DEMOCRACY Women in Action
East Lyme Democratic Town Committee
Generation Change CT
NAACP New Haven Lớn Hơn
Hamden Action Now
Hamden Democratic Town Committee
Hamden Progressive Action Network (HamPAN)
Hartford Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Hartford Votes~Hartford Vota Coalition
Heritage Village Democratic Club
Hispanic Federation Connecticut State Office
ICT4 (Indivisible CT District 4)
Individual Democracy Activists
Stamford không thể chia cắt
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1228
Liên đoàn cử tri nữ Connecticut
League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford
Làm cho việc bỏ phiếu trở nên dễ dàng – CT
Medicare for All CT
Moral Monday CT
Nancy A Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, UConn School of Social Work
National Lawyers Guild Chapter at Yale Law School
Trung tâm nhân dân New Haven
New Haven Rising!
Norwalk Women Who Vote
Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee
PAN34
Politica CT
Power Up Manchester
Phụ nữ tiến bộ của Greater Hartford
ReSisters
SEIU – CT State Council
SEIU 32BJ
SEIU CSEA Local 2001
SEIU District 1199NE
Sierra Club Connecticut
Social Action Council, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury
The Unrig Bridgeport Coalition
Unitarian Society of New Haven UU the Vote Team
Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut
Urban Concepts, Inc.
UU the Vote CT
Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church
Voter Choice Connecticut
Waterbury Muslims
Western Connecticut Action Network
Windham Willimantic Branch NAACP
Workers United Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board SEIU
YWCA Greenwich
YWCA New Britain