April 4, 2023

For more than 100 years, the League of Women Voters has advocated for expanded voting access for all eligible voters and provided them with nonpartisan factual information about the issues.

Implementing early voting in Connecticut has been one of our voting priorities for more than 10 years. Now that the referendum question, “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?” passed with 60 percent of the vote in November 2022, we turned our attention to fighting for the best process possible.

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve repeatedly testified at public hearings and consulted with the secretary of the state, governor’s office, election officials, and legislators to discuss what plan is best for Connecticut.

There are details to be ironed out, but one essential issue that has to be addressed now is how to pay for implementation. An effective and fair plan must provide full funding from the state to enable the secretary of the state to:

• create and oversee early voting procedures that ensure effective and uniform implementation across the state;
• provide a robust outreach effort to educate the public. Voters need to understand where and when they can vote.

Towns and cities must be able to:

• hire and train the necessary personnel required to administer early voting;
• provide an adequate number of polling places to guarantee fair access in all towns and cities; and
• conduct at least 10 days of early voting — including two weekends — with early and late hours to accommodate caretakers and shift workers.

In April, early voting bills will move to the floor of the House and Senate. Let your representatives know that you expect them to produce and fund an early voting plan that will allow our 169 towns and cities to provide a process that meaningfully expands access to the ballot for all eligible voters.