The League of Women Voters of Connecticut believes that the political process must be open to all citizens and that the right to vote with confidence in the election process and with adequate information with which to make informed decisions must be guaranteed for all. To achieve these goals, the LWVCT supports the following:

Registration Processes

• Expand opportunities for the registration of potential voters via the Internet and through use of off-site, off-hour registration sessions, increased use of mail-in applications and applications submitted through various state agencies;
• Provide Instruction by state and local officials on proper voter registration procedures for those distributing voter registration applications;
• Implement Election Day Registration (EDR) for all federal, state and local elections with adequate safeguards to protect against fraud;
• Maintain an accurate, reliable, state-wide electronic, centralized voter registration system and accurate local voter lists;
• Provide adequate training, compensation, and assistance for registrars and adequate training for their designees;
• Provide outreach to potential voters, such as high school students and new citizens, by town and state elections officials.

Election Procedures

• Ensure sufficient funding and adequate personnel for state agencies to supervise and enforce election laws;
• Provide expanded and unbiased public education in voting machine use, and expanded opportunity for unbiased ballot information at the polls;
• Assure assistance to voters for whom English is not their primary language;
• Mandate training and supervision of all election workers to assure uniform compliance with federal and state laws;
• Adopt procedures to minimize voter inconvenience;
• Assure identification of voters at polls to prevent fraud;
• Provide instruction from the Office of the Secretary of the State to all election workers regarding the use of Presidential and Provisional ballots, ballot questions and referenda on Constitutional Amendments;
• Provide impartial voter education by the Office of the Secretary of the State and local elections officials, where appropriate, regarding ballot questions and referenda;
• Assure that absentee voting privileges are available to all;
• Strengthen measures to protect the absentee ballot from fraud and undue influence.

Voting Technology (based on the LWVUS position)

• Implement voting systems that are secure, accurate, recountable and accessible (SARA) in order to ensure the integrity of, and voter confidence in, elections;
• Consider a broad range of options that meet SARA criteria and keep pace with evolving technology;
• Use voting systems and procedures that provide fairness to all voters, including the disabled and those who do not speak English as their primary language.

Funding

It is essential to ensure adequate funding and support for state agencies responsible for supervising elections, enforcing election laws, and assuring the integrity of voting technology are fundamental to protecting citizens' right to vote and having their votes counted.

Reviewing Connecticut's election laws must be a continuing activity, in light of the evolving technology in voting systems, new legislation and regulations, and the needs of the public.

For more information on this position, see page 12 of Government - Impact on Issues 2017.