In 2024, Connecticut voters passed a constitutional amendment that grants the state legislature the power to allow all voters to vote by absentee ballot. One of the League's legislative priorities is to ensure that universal absentee voting legislation provides equitable, well-publicized options for all voters.
On November 10, 2025, Bridgeport Generation Now’s Co-Directors Gemeem Davis and Callie Heilmann gave a special presentation to League members on absentee voting in Connecticut and the current reality of absentee ballot harvesting in Bridgeport. Over the last several years, Bridgeport Generation Now has been leading the effort to end this illegal practice and to pass reforms to our state's absentee voting system. Unfortunately, the threat of jail time has not deterred the worst of the Bridgeport actors, and new criminal complaints surfaced during the 2025 election cycle.
They concluded with possible solutions to create a system of mail-in voting that puts the safety of voters and the integrity of our democracy first.
Watch the presentation below to learn more about:
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How ballot harvesting happens in Bridgeport and why/how it weakens democracy across the state and discourages voter turnout,
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The shortcomings of current laws in preventing fraud and protecting voters from harassment, targeting, and manipulation, and
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Potential solutions for creating a system of mail-in voting that puts the safety of voters and the integrity of our democracy first.
