Paul Bass Photo
Denise Merrill.
Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill — who has emerged as a national leader of a bipartisan effort to beat back the Trump Administration’s voting-rights plans — has decided to run for a third four-year term in 2018
The current political climate influenced her decision, Merrill said in a statement released Friday.
“Now more than ever, we need to protect voting rights and stand up for our democracy,” said Merrill. “There are voices calling for roiling back hard won voting rights. Their actions would erode our shared democracy. I say to them: ‘Not on my watch.’ We ‘ve come too far to turn back now.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done to ensure that every eligible voter in Connecticut is able to vote without intimidation, fear of fraud, or unnecessary barriers to casting a ballot. Together with Connecticut voters and town officials, we have made Connecticut a leader in free, fair, and safe elections.”
Merrill, a Democrat first elected in 2010, has just finished a term as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. In that role, she organized a bipartisan message from all the secretaries of state to oppose the White House’s efforts to submit personal data on all voters for a central database; and to argue that states should remain in control of administering elections and protecting voting rights. (Click here for a story on that.)
Click on or download the above audio file to hear a recent interview with Denise Merrill on WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven” program about the voter-data project and other voting-rights and accessibility issues.