New Voting Machines and Fighting Against Homelessness

October 13, 2023


The state is making a big investment in new voting machines. I will let you know how the new technology will ensure that we have safe and fair elections.

Time is running out to apply for the Legislative Internship Program. Keep scrolling to get a breakdown of what interns can expect in this exciting program!

Below you will find the following sections in this email:

    • New Voting Machines
    • Fighting Against Homelessness
    • Breast Cancer Awareness Month
    • Apply Now for the Legislative Internship Program
    • Statewide Gun Buyback Event
     
    New Voting Machines

    You may notice some changes the next time you go the polls because the state is investing $25 million for new voting machines. The Connecticut State Bond Commission approved the funding last week because the existing machines are beginning to show signs of aging.

    It is estimated the state will buy several thousand traditional ballot-counting tabulators and dozens of high-speed tabulators to count absentee ballots in elections and primaries.

    It is vital to give election workers modern equipment to accurately count ballots in a timely manner. This funding will give them the necessary tools to make sure elections run smoothly.

    The Office of the Secretary of the State will begin the process of searching for a manufacturer to supply the equipment. Once the new machines are here, the state will provide the equipment to every municipality including Stamford, and the existing equipment will be retired.

    This is the first time there will be a statewide replacement of all its voting machines in the past 17 years. We switched from machines with a lever to a machine that reads paper ballots in 2006.
     
    Fighting Against Homelessness
    It was a pleasure to attend a meeting about ending homelessness organized by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and Fairfield County Coordinated Access Network (CAN). I sat alongside many colleagues, nonprofits, and state workers who are trying to find solutions daily.
     
    I made sure to talk about income inequality and the need to get more housing for the homeless. We were told we need to build 25,000 real affordable units to prevent a crisis.
    We also discussed the complexities of mental health being, at times, part of the reason for homelessness. We also talked about the complexities of preventing the elderly, who do not have resources, from ending up homeless. 
     
    This is a crisis that we can fight. Connecticut had a declining homeless population while the rest of the nation saw an uptick. Let’s get back to that.
    Many thanks again to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and the many people I have worked with on various homeless cases.
     
    Breast Cancer Awareness Month
    1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. That is one person every 2 minutes in the United States. And in 2022, it is estimated that 44,000 people will die from breast cancer.
    Here are some facts about Breast Cancer
    • The chance of getting breast cancer increases as a woman gets older. Breast cancer is extremely rare in women in their teens or early 20s and uncommon in women under age 40. In fact, 94 percent of new cases of breast cancer occur in women over the age of 40.  
    • Your risk of breast cancer increases if your mother, sister, or any close relatives on your mother's or father's side of the family have or had either breast or ovarian cancer. The amount of risk depends on the closeness of the relatives, the total number of relatives, and their age when their cancers were diagnosed.
    • If you had cancer in one breast, your chance of getting cancer in the other breast is greater.
    • Breast cancer is more common in some racial and ethnic groups than in others, though medical experts do not know why. White women are more likely than Hispanic, African American, Asian, or Native American women to get breast cancer. In addition, women with Eastern European (Ashkenazi Jewish) ancestry on either side of their family are at increased risk. African American women are more likely than women of other racial and ethnic groups to die of breast cancer.
    • Your chance of getting breast cancer is increased if you never gave birth or if you had your first child later in life (in your 30s or 40s).
    • Your chance of getting breast cancer may be greater if you use certain kinds of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause.

    We are committed in the legislature to fighting for those affected by breast cancer here in Connecticut and will continue to help doctors and scientists working to find cures, address the needs of patients and their families, and make treatments affordable.
     
    If you are a woman over 40, please make sure you receive an annual mammogram and check yourself monthly.
     
    Apply Now for the Legislative Internship Program
    The Connecticut General Assembly Legislative Internship Program is looking for new candidates! CLICK HERE if you are interested in joining the program for Spring 2024. It's a great way to learn about your state government.
    The program offers Connecticut college students the opportunity to learn how state government works through first-hand experience in the legislative offices. Interns earn college credit for their work in the Connecticut General Assembly and gain exclusive access to the legislators and insight into the policy making process.

    The application deadline is November 1, 2023.
    Click Here For More Information
     
    Statewide Gun Buyback Event

    On Saturday, October 28, several state police departments around the state will participate in the third annual Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback and Gun Safe Giveaway Day, including Stamford PD.

    The event will be held from 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. at the Stamford Police Department on 725 Broad Street. Please look at the flier below for more information.