Early Voting
38 states and the District of Columbia are able to use some form of early voting.
Rep. Jill Barry (D-Glastonbury) joined Secretary of the State Denise Merrill at a press conference Tuesday in the State Capitol to support a proposed Constitutional Amendment on early voting in Connecticut.
“Maintaining a vibrant democracy means recognizing that the world has changed,” Rep. Barry said. “Connecticut voters should be able to join most of the country and vote at a convenient time leading up to Election Day, or by absentee ballot.”
Connecticut’s Constitution requires voters to “appear on Election Day” unless they are able to meet certain requirements in order to vote by absentee ballot. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would require a minimum of three days of in-person early voting, and would remove the restrictions on absentee ballots.
Connecticut is one of only twelve states with no provision for early voting, and one of only nine that require voters to provide an excuse in order to vote by absentee ballot without an early voting option.
“We should continue to remove barriers to Connecticut voters exercising their most fundamental right to vote by joining the overwhelming majority of states that allow their voters to cast a ballot before Election Day,” said Secretary Merrill. “This popular, common-sense election reform will help ensure that not only can every Connecticut citizen easily register, but that every registered voter can conveniently vote.”