Melissa Osborne

On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved H.B. 5004, a measure that will allow early voting in our state beginning in 2024. The proposal represents a compromise between the 30+ days sought by some advocacy groups and the 10 days initially requested by Office of the Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. Importantly, the bill removes early voting for referenda.

This legislation modernizes the state's elections and allows for more convenience to voters in the process, reflecting the realities of hectic modern-day life. Eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots in person ahead of Election Day for both regular and special elections, as well as primaries.

A big thanks to our great Registrars of Voters, Karen Cortes and Sue Salina, for meeting with me about early voting, keeping me abreast of their concerns, and reviewing these changes as they came down in the middle of yesterday’s session.

I look forward to the next step, which is debate in the Senate so stay tuned.