Early Voting, Absentee Voting Measures Pass the House
The House of Representatives met recently to take up two resolutions which, if passed, would allow voters to decide on expanded early and absentee voting in Connecticut elections.
I’ve included more details below about the bills and why I voted the way I did:
- House Joint Resolution 59, ‘Resolution Approving an Amendment to the State Constitution to Allow for Early Voting’ – Passed the House, 115-26
If the Senate now approves the measure, the question “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting” will appear on the 2022 election ballot.
If approved by the voters in 2022, the laws enacting early voting and governing how early voting would be conducted would still need to be legislated in 2023 or thereafter.
- House Joint Resolution 58, ‘Resolution Proposing a State Constitutional Amendment to Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting’ – Passed the House, 104-44
This resolution proposed a constitutional amendment to remove the enumerated excuses necessary for voting by absentee ballot in the state constitution.
This resolution is before the General Assembly for the first time and did not receive the necessary supermajority in both the House and Senate in order to appear on the 2022 ballot.
The legislature will likely take this issue up again in 2023, and if it passes by a simple majority, it will be on the November 2024 ballot.
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Neither bill would change Connecticut election laws. Both the early voting and the no excuse absentee ballot bill require an amendment to the state constitution, which must be decided by voters at a statewide referendum. A ‘Yea’ vote on these bills was a vote in favor of putting the decision to the voters in a future referendum.
Connecticut is currently one of only a few states in the country that don’t currently permit any form of early, in-person voting. As someone who normally votes in-person on Election Day, I recognize that many working families, senior citizens and college students do not, for a myriad of reasons.
Similarly, 650,000 voters took advantage of expanded absentee voting in Connecticut during the pandemic. While I believe it’s unlikely that we would see levels that high again, I understand many people see absentee voting as an opportunity to improve participation in our elections, especially for those unable to vote in person.
I also recognize that there are many voters in our state who don’t have confidence in the integrity or security of our elections. I supported several Republican-introduced amendments which would have established election safeguards and put in place a bipartisan commission to make recommendations for future reforms. I was disappointed when the majority refused to accept any of the suggestions from the Republican minority.
Although I was disappointed when those amendments failed, I still ultimately believe the people should be allowed to decide if they want to change their constitution.
Should you have any questions, please know that you can always reach me.
Tammy Nuccio
State Representative for the 53rd District
Ashford, Tolland and Willington