Editor’s Note: All candidates for Governor, Secretary of the State,  Attorney General, U.S. Senate, 2nd Congressional District, State Senate and State House Districts for Haddam and Killingworth were invited to send a brief statement and a photo to HK-Now.com. These are being posted online as they arrive. They also will appear in Haddam Killingworth News over four Thursdays in October.
Posted on September 27, 2022:
Stephanie Thomas is the Democratic candidate for Secretary of the State. She’s a small business owner who has spent three decades advising and problem-solving for nonprofit organizations.
Stephanie was elected State Representative for Norwalk, Wilton and Westport in 2020, flipping that seat from Republican to Democrat. As State Representative, she has been tirelessly working to protect and expand voter access. As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, Stephanie sponsored and helped pass a variety of voter-focused bills such as automatic voter registration and resolutions to advance early voting and no-excuse absentee ballot voting. Stephanie will continue to fight to protect the right to vote and ensure we have free and fair elections in Connecticut as Secretary of the State.
Stephanie is running for Secretary of the State because she believes that we are at an inflection point and a change in direction is needed. To renew trust in our political process and our elections, Stephanie believes that the next Secretary must redefine the role to include a focus on civic education, prioritize community outreach, and work with the Executive and Legislative branches to protect the right to vote.
Stephanie’s top priorities as Secretary of the State are to ensure that our towns have the resources and infrastructure to implement fair, safe and accessible elections; to serve as a leader in cooperation with clerks and registrars to work with the General Assembly to implement early voting and no-excuse absentee voting when those ballot measures become law; to use the power of data to provide information to businesses that will help them access available programs, funding, and resources; and serve as a convener and open up channels of communication with all the stakeholders of the office: from community groups and voting rights advocates to businesses to front line election workers.Photo by Ilir Bajraktari