July 1, 2021
Hello members and friends,
I am very excited to be the new President of LWVCT! 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for all of us.
The pandemic changed the way that we did our work and also showed us how much more needs to be done to ensure that every eligible voter understands the process and can vote safely and securely. And as many found out, our absentee ballot process is unnecessarily complicated and restrictive!
In 2020, through determination and creativity by our members (and a lot of help from technology) we kept voters updated about the changes in primary election dates as well as the evolving safety protocols put in place by the Secretary of the State’s office to keep people safe while protecting their right to vote. We continued to work on the 2020 Census and redistricting (the decennial redrawing of political districts) with the People Powered Fair Maps program, educating about the process and pushing for transparency and accountability to the public.
With a combination of digital outreach, social media, virtual events, and printed materials, we were able to:
- Provide information about the candidates and where and how to vote through Vote411.org,
- Educate the public about the absentee ballot process, including how to find and use the new drop boxes in their municipality, and
- Inform voters how to verify that their absentee ballot application and ballot was received using the Look Up tool on the Secretary of the State’s portal.
Voters can continue to use all of this information in their upcoming local elections, as well.
In 2021, our advocacy team had several legislative successes: the elimination of prison gerrymandering; an improved Bottle Bill; and many of our election priorities made it through the Connecticut General Assembly, including the hard-won Early Voting resolution, permanent ballot drop boxes, expanded automatic voter registration, and restoration of voting rights for disenfranchised parolees! And if you don’t know, because the Early Voting resolution passed the legislature twice (2019 and 2021), every Connecticut voter will see a ballot question in 2022 asking us whether or not we want to amend our state Constitution and allow for Early Voting in Connecticut. For a complete report on legislative successes, see our blog post “What Happened During the 2021 Legislative General Session & Special Session”
The past year also offered us a unique opportunity to partner with other non-profit groups like never before to help provide their members with factual information, enabling us to reach new voters in every community in Connecticut. We plan to build on these relationships so that together we can empower every eligible citizen to vote and participate in our great democracy.
I look forward to working with our new state board, which is made up of a group of enthusiastic women dedicated to our league and its future. We hope you will stop by our new office in Hamden and meet our great office staff: Rachel Schmidt and Vanessa Soto. They are there to help!
Wishing you a fantastic summer,
Laura Smits
President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut
