Thanks to the hard work of our leaders, members, voting rights allies around the state, and state legislators, there's a lot to look forward to this year: Early voting, the most comprehensive voting rights act in the country, a new presidential primary date, and a statewide referendum on absentee voting.

Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday that the State Bond Commission will vote next month to spend $25 million on new voting machines that are expected to be in place by the presidential election next year. Following Wednesday's announcement, Ann Reed, vice president for advocacy at the League of Women Voters, said the group was "thrilled" that the state would be getting new voting machines. "Old voting machines can sabotage an election, and we want to maintain Connecticut's dominance in pushing voting for everyone and making it safe and secure," she said.

During the 2023 Legislative Session we celebrated the passage of laws to expand access to the ballot and protect voting rights, campaign finance, and gun safety, while recognizing the failure of the legislature to pass other key bills, to address the climate emergency and affordable housing. Read the full final reports to find out what happened during the Session.

The State Senate joins the State House in taking a crucial step towards strengthening Connecticut’s access to the ballot box. We are thrilled that the Early Voting bill, H.B. 5004 received bipartisan support and extend our sincerest gratitude to all of the senators who supported the bill. However, while we celebrate we must not overlook the importance of fully funding this initiative to ensure its successful implementation - analysis shows that over $8 million is needed to pay for adequate staff, materials, and education.