State Representative Gale Mastrofrancesco and House Republicans Secure Key Changes to HB 5001

HARTFORD — State Representative Gale Mastrofrancesco, Ranking Member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, spoke in opposition to HB 5001 following hours of debate on the House floor on Wednesday, while also highlighting several key changes secured through House Republican efforts.

“While I ultimately opposed this legislation, our caucus fought to make meaningful improvements. I want to thank the GAE Committee chairman for his willingness to work with us for the betterment of our election systems,” said Rep. Mastrofrancesco. “We were successful in stopping a portion of the bill regarding permanent absentee voting status, which would have allowed a path for the mass mailing of automatically mailed absentee ballots.”

Under changes adopted following debate, voters seeking ongoing absentee status will now be required to request an application from their municipality. Lawmakers also removed a more than $1 million provision in the proposed bill for funding of a statewide mailing campaign from the elected office of the Secretary of the State’s Office.

Despite these revisions, Mastrofrancesco expressed continued concerns about the scope and direction of the bill. An amendment offered by House Republicans that would have reduced the amount of early voting days to reduce costs for towns was rejected by the majority.

“This legislation spans more than 70 sections and makes sweeping changes that should have been considered individually,” she said. “Instead of focusing on strengthening election safeguards, especially in light of serious concerns raised in Bridgeport, the majority chose to expand absentee voting without adequately addressing vulnerabilities.”

Mastrofrancesco emphasized that Connecticut already provides multiple avenues for voting, including early voting, absentee voting under existing law, and in-person voting on Election Day.

“The main issue at hand is not access, it is integrity,” she said. “Expanding absentee voting without strong protections risks undermining confidence in our elections.”