Urge Our Legislators to Fully Fund the Connecticut Voting Rights Act
The Connecticut Voting Rights Act (CTVRA) is the nation’s most comprehensive state-level voting rights act. To remain the national leader, Connecticut must adequately fund its protections in this biennial budget, which will require $988,438 each year. This will cover five staff positions needed to implement the historic preclearance provision and other aspects of law, maintenance of the statewide election database in partnership with the UConn Voter Center, and translation services to comply with language access requirements.
As of May 27, CTVRA has a line in the state legislature's biennial budget and we need to ensure that it is not removed before the final vote. The CT General Assembly anticipates a vote on the budget Friday, May 30, Saturday, May 31, or Monday, June 2.
Take Action Before Friday, May 30:
- Use the Lookup Tool to find out who represents you and then find their contact information using the Directory of Elected Officials.
- Contact your legislators in both the State Senate and State House and ask them to ensure that the line item that funds the CTVRA remains in the final budget.
More on the CTVRA
Connecticut Voters Face Persistent Barriers and Discrimination
There are still discriminatory barriers to equal participation in our democracy for voters of color and people whose first language isn’t English. Through enacting the CTVRA in 2023, the Connecticut legislature made a commitment to Black voters and other voters of color. Three-quarters of Connecticut voters supported the CTVRA and 89% of Black voters wanted their representatives to prioritize it. As we are seeing attacks, not progress, on voting rights at the federal level the state must double-down on this commitment, not walk it back.
The CTVRA Protects Voters of Color and Strengthens Connecticut's Democracy
Connecticut set a new standard for protecting the right to vote through:
- Providing new legal tools to fight discriminatory voting rules in court.
- Preventing voting discrimination before it occurs in high-risk places.
- Expanding language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency.
- Creating strong protections against voter intimidation, deception, or obstruction.
- Creating a central hub for election data and demographic information that will empower officials and community members to ensure accessible.
