HARTFORD, Conn. — Governor Ned Lamont held a bill signing ceremony Friday morning.
He signed House Bill 7005, An Act Concerning a Municipal Election Monitor at the 2020 State Election and Processing of Absentee Ballots for the 2020 State Election.
According to the governor's office, the legislation will facilitate the processing of absentee ballots during the upcoming general election, giving cities and towns the option of opening the outer envelope of the absentee ballots and verifying the voter signed the inner envelope, beginning at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30. However, the inner envelope that contains the ballot may not be opened until Election Day.
The ceremony was held at Hartford City Hall at 10 a.m. Governor Lamont was joined by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Mayor Luke Bronin.
Watch Facebook Live coverage of the signing below:
Connecticut officials say they are expecting more people to vote by absentee ballot than in years past.
“Generally we have about five percent of people who request them. Now we’re going to have a much bigger number, we think,” said CT Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.
Applications for absentee ballots were sent out to every registered voter in the state and now town clerks are receiving those applications.
Secretary of the State Merrill outlined the process of mail-in voting:
“The town clerk will check your name off the list as having requested an absentee ballot. They will then send you that absentee ballot, which has two different envelopes in it when you send it back,” said Merrill.
By Connecticut law, those ballots will start going out on October 2.
“You fill out the ballot, fold it in half, you put it in the inner envelope, which has a place for you to sign it. So again, you’re going to have to sign again on that envelope,” said Merrill. “You put your ballot in that inner envelope, you sign it, you seal it. It won’t be counted if it’s not sealed or unsigned.”
That’s to make sure no one tampers with your ballot.
“Then you take that envelope, you stick it another envelope, that does have your name on it, and you send it back to the town clerk. When they get it, they put a little AB next to your name and that actually goes on our website. You can track to see when your ballot is sent out from the town,” said Merrill.
The tool to use is myvotect.gov/lookup.
