Received 5/10/19 from the office of Ct State Senator Norm Needleman
This week [5/6 – 5/10/19], the Senate addressed, and adopted, legislation that moves Connecticut one step closer to expanding early voting access for countless citizens. Our state is one of just 10 that does not currently offer voters opportunities to vote outside of Election Day. This is a glaring oversight that prevents parents, workers, students and seniors from having optimal access to a ballot box and requires them to wait in long, sometimes discouraging lines on the first Tuesday of November.
While I am happy my colleagues and I passed this legislation, I am thoroughly disappointed about the circumstances in which it was approved. To update the state Constitution, voters must approve a ballot question, one that only would have reached the 2020 ballot if both the House and Senate approved legislation by a 75 percent supermajority. I was heartened to see the House achieved that approval rate, with just 15 Representatives voting against it.
However, only one Republican Senator crossed the aisle to support early voting. The 13 Senators who opposed it delayed this effort by multiple years. Now, under state law, the legislature elected in November 2020 must vote on this issue again in 2021, and if they approve it again, the ballot question won’t appear until 2022. That means early voting now cannot come to Connecticut earlier than 2023.
I believe strongly in expanding access to the ballot box, as the right to vote is nothing without the ability and opportunity to vote. It’s incredibly disappointing that my colleagues do not agree. Our election process will continue to see long lines on Election Day and restrictive laws preventing voters from voting when they see fit. What’s worse, this legislation would, itself, change nothing; it simply put the question to citizens whether they would like early voting, and would only update the state Constitution if they approved it.
Despite this setback, I believe strongly in this legislation, and I will continue to fight for and support expansion of voting access. We all have the right to make our voices heard, no matter what we believe in. It’s a shame we’ll be delayed from doing it on our own terms.
