Local and state groups like the League of Women Voters, New Haven Voter Coalition and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut are encouraging citizens to vote, months after the state introduced “no-excuse” absentee ballots for all voters.

Staff Reporter

At a cozy Edgewood Avenue bookstore Sunday afternoon, members of the League of Women Voters of New Haven handwrote postcards to potential voters as part of a “Postcard Party.”

The nonprofit is among several local and state organizations working to boost voter turnout and civic education ahead of the upcoming midterm election. Events like the Postcard Party are designed to inform voters about how they can cast their ballots. The 2026 midterms will mark the first general election after a ballot measure and subsequent state legislation this year secured Connecticut voters’ right to request absentee ballots without providing a reason. 

“We’ve fought hard in the legislature to get that availability to voters, because we really want to make sure that everyone votes, that all eligible voters have the ability to vote, and they’re not restricted by work schedules, or travel, transportation restrictions or anything like that,” Patricia Rossi, co-president of the League of Women’s Voters of Connecticut, said. 

Other local nonprofits have conducted social media campaigns, organized door-to-door canvassing and distributed leaflets to educate people about voting.

In an attempt to increase voter turnout among young people, the New Haven Votes Coalition has conducted voter registration at local high schools and universities, including Gateway Community College and the University of New Haven, according to coordinator Aaron Goode. 

Cristher Estrada-Perez, the director of community engagement and education for the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, said her organization has visited college campuses and designed social media campaigns intended to engage students at schools in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. 

While Estrada-Perez said she recognized the importance of national elections, she added that the ACLU-CT attempts to educate voters on the importance of local and municipal elections.

Having “effective conversations” about civic engagement and “knowing that voting is not going to be the solution to all of those problems,” she said, “allows us to have a starting conversation.”