Early, Easier Voting Quest Revived

Hartford — Secretary of the State Denise Merrill invoked the two to three-hour waits at the polls in New Haven in the last election to press for a long-term solution: allowing everybody to vote on other days if they choose.

Merrill and other proponents of early voting dominated the testimony Monday at hearing on 12 bills to bring early voting or expanded absentee voting to Connecticut. The hearing was conducted by the state legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee.

While there was overwhelming support in the hearing for early voting, some of those same proponents pushed against permitting a possible expansion of the absentee ballot process.

In 2014, Connecticut voters narrowly defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers the power to consider early voting and expand absentee voting options. In New Haven, where there was a robust campaign to promote the constitutional amendment, the measure passed overwhelmingly.

Without a constitutional amendment, the state constitution prohibits early voting by requiring that voters vote in person on election day, allowing absentee ballots to be cast only by those who will be out of their voting jurisdiction from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Now some 37 states and the District of Columbia offer early voting. So lawmakers are trying again with the 12 bills promoting both early and absentee voting, two which New Haven State Rep. Roland Lemar is co-sponsoring.

“It’s clear across the country,” Lemar said, ​“that states that allow early voting and no-excuse absentee voting see great participation levels. Our democracy is framed by those who can participate.” Current law in Connecticut makes it too hard from some first-time voters and people with ​“uneven hours” or long commutes to participate, he argued.

Merrill said that she believed the constitutional question failed in 2014 for two reason: confusion over the wording and obfuscation by a very noisy gubernatorial campaign.

Republican State Sen. Michael McLachlan of Danbury said the language of the 2014 ballot questions seemed pretty straightforward, and understandable. He also pointed out that nearly as many people voted on the ballot question as cast a vote for the governor in that election.

Merrill said she supports bills on early voting and no-excuse absentee balloting that make it easier, not harder, for people to vote. She said it’s also what people want, especially now that it’s happening in so many other states. She arguing that both options could alleviate Election Day pressures on election officials, pointing out that long, two to three hour lines in the last election particularly in large cities like New Haven, had the unintended consequence of disenfranchising some people.

When McLachlan asked another proponent who testified, New Haven Votes Coalition’s Aaron Goode, why he believes the vote failed in 2014. Goode pointed out that in New Haven that the constitutional amendment passed 2 to 1 in New Haven. But only after many volunteer hours of explaining the question to voters who found it confusing.

McLachlan asked much such an effort costs, to which Good replied not much because the education campaign was led almost entirely by volunteers.

Before living in New Haven, Goode lived in California, where referendum questions often appear on ballots. He told McLachlan that often time those questions fail on the first time on the ballot because people don’t understand the measure’s intent.

“My opinion is that the second time they hit the ballot it will probably do worse because they know more,” McLachlan said. ​“I’m sensing you don’t agree with me.”

McLachlan was right. Goode did not agree. ​“It often does better because there is greater awareness,” he said.

Common Cause Connecticut’s Cherie Quickmire told the committee that the current voting process unintentionally disenfranchises people who work and can’t get away or are too far away to vote, as well as parents and people who lack transportation. She pointed to Colorado with its 15 days for in-person early voting and no-excuse absentee voting as an effective model for Connecticut.

Town clerks and registrars of voters are not as keen on supporting no-excuse absentee balloting.

Mark Bernacki of the Connecticut Town Clerk Association told the committee that his organization supports the proposals that would allow in-person, early voting because it mimics regular voting activity.

“CTCA is opposed to the constitutional and statutory proposals before you for no-excuse,” he said. ​“Currently 7 percent of votes are cast via absentee ballot. The system is not equipped for high volume. It would be labor intensive, costly prone to elector error, relies on the post office for quick turnaround, and there is even the occasional town clerk error.”

Following is a status report on bills of particular interest to New Haven before the state legislature this session:

The 2017 Agenda

Bill #	Status	Summary	Sponsors
SB11/ HB5539	Committee Denied	Would legalize, tax recreational use of marijuana.	Candelaria Dillon Lemar Walker Porter et al
SB 17	Committee Approved	Would make certain undocumented immigrant students (DREAMers) eligible for state college financial aid.	Looney
HB 5434	Committee Approved	Would have CT join with other states to elect the President based on popular, rather than Electoral College, vote.	Winfield, Porter Albis Elliott D’Agostino et al.
HB 5458, HB 6058	Committee Approved	Would establish electronic tolls on state highways.	Genga
HB 5575/HB 7126	Passed Senate	Would regulate companies such as Uber and Lyft.	Scanlon
HB 5589	Passed House	Would expand disclosure requirements for contributions to campaign funds.	Dillon Lemar D’Agostino Elliott et al.
HB 5591	Passed House	Would require equal pay for employees doing comparable work.	Dillon Walker Lemar Albis D’Agostino Elliott et al.
HB 5703	Committee Denied	Would have CT enter into an agreement with other states to limit ​“poaching” of each other’s businesses.	Lemar
HJ 13/HJr 95	Passed House	Would amend the state constitution to permit early voting.	Lemar
HJ 16	In Commitee	Would amend the state constitution to permit absentee voting for all voters.	Lemar
SB 1/HB 6212	Committee Approved	Would require employers to provide paid family and medical leave for their employees.	Looney
SB 2	Committee Approved	Would make the education funding formula more equitable.	Duff
SB 8	Committee Denied	Would allow municipalities to adopt a 0.5% sales tax.	Looney
SB 10/HB 5743	Passed Senate	Would strengthen hate crime laws.	Winfield
SB 13/HB 6208/HB 6456	Committee Approved	Would increase the minimum wage.	Looney Winfield et al. Albis Candelaria D’Agostino Elliott Lemar Paolillo Porter Walker
SB 137	Committee Denied	Would expand birth-to-three and provide universal pre-school, among other things.	Gerratana
SJ 5/HJ 1	Passed House	Would amend the state constitution to create a ​“lock-box” for transportation funding.	Duff
HB 5588	Committee Denied	Would limit certain bond allocations.	Dillon Lemar Albis Walker Elliott et al.
HB 5912HB 6127	Committee Denied	Would establish a 1‑cent/ounce tax on sugared beverages.	Lemar Elliott et al.
HB 6554	Committee Denied	Would tax carried interest as ordinary income.	Porter Albis Lemar Elliott Winfield Candelaria Dillon D’Agostino et al.
HB 5831	Committee Denied	Would provide bonding for transitional housing for NH female ex- offenders.	Porter Candelaria Lemar Winfield Looney Paolillo
SB 631	Committee Denied	Would provide bonding to make structural improvements to the Shubert Theatre.	Winfield Looney Walker Porter Lemar Candelaria Paolillo
HB 6863	Committee Denied	Would authorize bonds for renovating the Barbell Club as a youth/ community center.	Canelaria Porter Paolillo Lemar Winfield
SB 649	Committee Approved	Would allow local building officials to impose fines for building w/o a permit.	Looney Winfield Walker Candelaria Lemar Porter Paolillo Et al.
SB 590/591	Committee Denied	Would limit police ccoperation w/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (590); establish an immigrant’s bill of rights	Winfield
SB 20	Committee Denied	Would require affordability to be considered in reviewing proposed health insurance rate hikes.	Looney
HB 6352	Committee Approved	Would establish a deposit system for car tires.	Ritter Gresko McCrory
HB 6901	Committee Denied	Would impose a surtax on large employers that pay an average wage less than $15/hour.	Elliott
HB 7278	Passed Senate	Would convey various parcels to New Haven, among other things.	Gov’t Administration and Elections