Connecticut is out of step with election reforms common in most other states.
The Goal:
Connecticut legislators should let the voters decide if we want to make “one person one vote” more convenient for all eligible voters. For that to happen, the House and Senate need to pass HJ 58 for No-Excuse Absentee Voting by a supermajority of 75% and HJ 59 for Early Voting by a simple majority of over 50%.
Connecticut's 2020 "pandemic" election was fair, secure, and a huge success for voters with the largest overall turnout ever; 35% of votes were cast by absentee ballot. Most voters don't realize this was an exception.
It's time for Connecticut to join 34 other states and the District of Columbia that offer no-excuse absentee or mail-in voting (HJ 58).70% of CT voters showed bipartisan support for No-Excuse Absentee Ballots/Voting in a January 2021 poll conducted by Secure Democracy. |
It's time for Connecticut to join 40 other states and the District of Columbia to empower voters to vote in-person before a certain Tuesday in November, or “Early Voting” (HJ 59).79% of CT voters showed bipartisan support for Early In-Person voting in a January 2021 poll conducted by Secure Democracy. |
Action:
Step 1 - SEND an EMAIL to your Senator and Member of the House of Representatives.
Email both your legislators and ask them to pass HJ58 and HJ59. If you know your legislators are in favor and will vote "YES", make sure to thank them!
Not sure who your legislators are or how to contact them? Use the CGA legislator lookup tool:
Feel free to adapt the samples below and include your name and town:
- I/my Mother was one of 659,000 voters who voted by absentee ballot “because of fear of COVID” in November 2020. I want all voters to have this opportunity in future elections without an excuse. Please pass HJ 58 without delay so we the voters can make the final decision.
- My work/school schedules are unpredictable. I want to vote in-person whenever possible. Make it easier to vote in-person before Election Day. Pass HJ 59 “Early Voting” so working folks and students have that choice.
Question: What if my legislator says “Amending the Constitution is a very big deal. I need to see more details about what they’re talking about”?
Answer: Amending the State Constitution is a THREE-STEP Process. ALL legislative details come in Step 3:
- STEP 1. Legislators first have to pass enabling legislation (HJ 58 No-Excuse Absentee Voting and HJ 59 Early Voting). If they pass with enough votes, we go to Step 2.
- STEP 2. CT voters then get to decide if we want to amend the constitution to allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting (HJ 58) and/or some form of Early in-person Voting. These are called Referendums.
- STEP 3. If Referendum(s) are successful, the issue(s) would come back to the legislature to work out the details and pass bill(s) to implement the details.
Legislators must take the first step up and pass HJ 58 and HJ 59 so VOTERS' voices/votes can be heard on these common-sense voting reforms.
Step 2 - Let us know how your legislators responded!
Take the HJ58 Legislator Response Survey Take the HJ59 Legislator Response Survey
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Background and Ballot Question Language:
In order to update our election laws to provide each Connecticut voter the options of Early Voting (EV) and No-Excuse Absentee Voting (NEAV), we first need an amendment to change the restrictive language in our State Constitution that currently denies voters these options on a permanent basis.
In Connecticut, voters cannot directly propose a constitutional amendment - a resolution must pass the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) before the rest of us have a chance to vote "yes" or "no". Only after this long constitutional amendment process can legislation be crafted to give voters the options of EV and NEAV on a permanent basis.
- the CGA passes HJ58 by a supermajority, so that voters have the chance vote on the proposed amendments in 2022, AND
- the majority of Connecticut voters vote "YES" for these two ballot questions in 2022.
HJ58 - No-Excuse Absentee Voting Language:
HJ58: Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?
HJ 59 -Early Voting Language:
HJ 59: Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?
Simple majority vs. super majority:
A resolution can't just pass on a simple majority (over 50%) the first time around, it must pass with a supermajority (75%) in both houses or else it has to wait till the next general legislative session and be voted on again. If it again passes both houses by at least 51%, it goes to the voters as a ballot question. This is what happened with Early Voting in 2019 and why it is back for round 2.
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