Connecticut voters to decide on absentee voting

STATE STATS

Voter makeup: Data from the Connecticut secretary of state’s office collected in October 2023 showed just over 2.4 million registered voters total, of which 2.2 million are active. About 20 percent of active voters registered as Republicans, 36 percent registered as Democrats, and about 42 percent chose no affiliation. Nevertheless, the state is considered a reliable Democratic stronghold. Most federal office holders are Democratic, and the last time a Republican presidential candidate won the state was in 1988. Another 1.6 percent of active voters registered with “minor parties” such as the Green or Libertarian parties.

Voting: Early voting in Connecticut opens about two weeks before the election, from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3. Oct. 18 is the last day to register to vote online or in person at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Voters can register in person at polling places during early voting and at designated sites in their municipality on Election Day. On Election Day, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and any voters standing in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballots.

The absentee voting period starts 31 days before the general election. This voting method is reserved for special circumstances such as illness, military service, physical disability, or other duties. The state allows voters to make emergency absentee ballot requests within six days of an election to accommodate unforeseen emergencies. Absentee requests must be received by the Monday before Election Day and returned via mail or in person by Election Day.

New Voting Laws

• The state’s 2022 Time Off to Vote law expired in July, meaning employers are no longer legally required to give employees two hours of unpaid time off to vote during the work day.

• A 2023 law allows town clerks to start collecting absentee ballots from drop boxes on the first day of the election’s absentee period rather than 29 days ahead of any election.

• A 2020 law made permanent the use of absentee ballot drop boxes introduced for the COVID-19 pandemic. The law also removed the section requiring a police officer to escort town clerks to collect ballots from boxes outside the clerk’s office.

• Lawmakers expanded permanent absentee ballot eligibility in 2021 to include voters suffering from long-term illness instead of just voters with a permanent physical disability.

• A 2021 law returns voting privileges to convicted felons on parole or confined to a community residence like a group home or mental health facility.

PRESIDENTIAL

President Joe Biden won the April primary this year with 96 percent of Democratic support. Former President Donald Trump also won the state Republican primary with 82 percent votes. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley won about 15 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed about 3 percent. Biden secured Connecticut’s seven electoral votes in the 2020 election after winning nearly 60 percent of voter support.

U.S. SENATE

Incumbent Democratic candidate Sen. Chris Murphy, 51, will face GOP candidate Matthew Corey, 60, who has run several unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. House and Senate. Corey served in the Navy and deployed to Beirut in 1983. After decades of owning a high-rise window washing business, Corey entered the restaurant scene and now owns and operates a golf course pub in Hartford. Murphy has represented Connecticut in the Senate for over a decade and pushed hard for reforming the education system and enacting gun control laws. The race is likely to favor Murphy. He defeated Corey in the 2018 Senate by a margin of 20 percentage points.

U.S. HOUSE

While Democrats currently hold all five congressional districts in Connecticut, the 5th District could be a tighter race this year.

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes, 51, will run against George Logan, 55. Hayes advocates for equal access to education, nutrition, and affordable healthcare. Hayes said her experiences with poverty, homelessness, and teenage motherhood shape her policies. She credits education for saving her from a cycle of poverty and addiction and said she’s living proof that the government works. Logan previously served two terms in the state legislature. If elected, he aims to cut down on government spending to lower inflation and advocate for energy independence to lower gas prices. Logan supports community organizations such as the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club to strengthen neighborhoods.

BALLOT MEASURES

Voters will decide on a no-excuse absentee voting measure that would remove all eligibility restrictions. Over half of the United States allow no-excuse absentee voting, according to a 2023 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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