HARTFORD, Conn. — Mayors and town leaders from across the state gathered at the Capitol Tuesday afternoon to talk early voting.
This November, Connecticut voters will decide if they want the option of voting in person before Election Day–meaning a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote–via a question on their ballot.
Those municipal leaders encouraged residents to vote “yes” on the “Connecticut Allow for Early Voting” amendment.
Proponents say this will protect voting rights in the state, and make it easier and more accessible for people to vote. They also call this a non-partisan issue, but some Republicans have spoken out against the initiative.
“It's about making it easier for every single resident to exercise their fundamental right to vote, and everybody wins when that's possible, nobody loses,” said Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.
If passed, this doesn’t mean early voting immediately goes into effect in Connecticut.
What it would do is alter the state constitution to allow the legislature to pass laws to provide for early in-person voting.
“I would say who is this good for pretty much everyone,” said former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill Tuesday. “Fundamentally, this is about the voters.”
Connecticut is currently one of only four states without early voting and residents previously voted “no” to the question in 2014, but supporters say now the state is ready, calling early voting “a no-brainer.”
“It's kind of ridiculous that we have not done this in Connecticut,” New Haven mayor Justin Elicker said.
Not everyone is on board, though. Republican Secretary of the State candidate Dominic Rapini says the money and time spent to implement this in the state isn’t worth it.
“I do not think early voting is right for Connecticut,” he said. “This is not where I want to put our money… they’ve had enough issues as it is.”
If the referendum is passed in two weeks, the question of how many days early can residents actually start voting, still remains.
Democrat Secretary of the State candidate Stephanie Thomas says if she’s elected, she’ll push for two to five days, but ultimately it would be up to the state legislature to hash out the details.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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