Connecticut Legislature Passes Early Voting and No-Excuse Mail-in Voting
UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 7, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed House Bill 5004 into law.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, May 30 and into the early hours of May 31, the Connecticut Senate passed two pieces of legislation: House Bill 5004, which would add 14 days of in-person early voting and House Joint Resolution 1, which, once approved by voters, would allow no-excuse mail-in voting.
During the 2022 midterm elections, Connecticut voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that allows the state to enact in-person early voting, a popular voting option offered by 46 other states and Washington, D.C. The amendment itself did not add the law to the books, but permitted the Legislature to do so.
Connecticut is one of only four states — along with Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire — that does not currently offer in-person early voting options for all voters. H.B. 5004 would require towns to offer 14 days of in-person early voting before Election Day in general elections. The bill heads to the desk of Gov. Ned Lamont (D) for his signature.
H.J.R. 1 is a constitutional amendment that would allow no-excuse mail-in voting, a practice permitted in 27 other states and Washington, D.C. Currently, the Connecticut Constitution only allows voters to vote by mail if they qualify with a few specific excuses, including sickness, physical disability or absence from the town on Election Day. H.J.R. 1 will ask Connecticut voters: “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?” The resolution will go before voters in November 2024.