House Republicans Express Serious Concerns About Rushed Implementation of Online Absentee Ballot Application Process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HARTFORD – House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, ranking member of the Governmental Administration and Elections Committee, on Wednesday released the following statement regarding the Secretary of the State’s implementation of an online application process for absentee ballots with just a month before Election Day:

“To call the Secretary of the State’s last-minute installation of an online application process for absentee ballots ill-timed would be a gross understatement. It’s preposterous to think that this won’t inject chaos into our election system at the moment we can least afford it. Look no further than the state’s Department of Labor, which faced a maelstrom of fraudulent unemployment claims this summer after launching efforts to modernize its technology. Why should any of us running for office, or even voters, have confidence that this new election tool will work well when it’s landing without advanced notice let alone a status report about its development?

Unfortunately, the surprise roll out of this project is yet another controversy from an office that’s faced scrutiny for efforts to hire a ‘misinformation czar,’ mass mailing of absentee ballot applications in 2020, and the incorrect guidance it supplied to Democrats on mailing applications during last year’s municipal elections. The secretary’s office will make it seem as though this will make it easier for residents to vote, but the reality is that this rushed roll out will only undermine citizens’ confidence in the integrity of our elections. Rushing this system into place puts at risk one of our most cherished values – the right to vote. It also puts a burden on town and city clerks to manage this rushed change to election procedures. The SOTS shouldn’t play games with our democratic process because there’s too much at stake.”