Connecticut

Resolution to Amend State Constitution to Permit Early Voting Clears House

A resolution that would allow for early voting in Connecticut passed the state House of Representatives Thursday.

House Joint Resolution 28 – Resolution Proposing a State Constitutional Amendment to Permit Early Voting, passed the house 81-65. The vote is a first step in a long process to amend the state constitution and allow for early voting. Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) has been a vocal supporter of measures to increase voter participation and supports the resolution. In his State of the state address in February, he pushed for adopting such an amendment. 

“In today’s modern world, busy schedules always don’t align with the 14-hour, restricted block of time that our state currently mandates as a voting period. Hardworking folks following the rules should be able to express their most fundamental right to vote. Other states have shown that a system of early voting works, and it’s time for us to catch up to this reality. I applaud the House for taking this major step today, and I urge the Senate to follow suit without delay,” he said.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is also in support of the measure. She released the following statement in response to the vote:

“I applaud the House of Representatives in taking this important first step to bring Connecticut in line with the majority of states that allow Early Voting to make participating in our democracy more convenient for busy voters. More than one-third of voters in America voted before Election Day in 2016, and it is long past time to allow Connecticut voters to do the same. I look forward to seeing this proposal debated in and voted on by the Senate this year.”

The resolution now goes to the Senate for consideration. If approved there, it then must be approved a second time by both chambers during the 2019 session. If it passes then, it will appear on the ballot during the 2020 general election.

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