Early Voting Begins in Connecticut

By Hugh McQuaid

October 21 @ 12:15 pm

Early voting in the 2024 general election began Monday in Connecticut — a milestone for the state which, until this year, was among a tiny minority of jurisdictions that did not allow voters to cast ballots in-person before Election Day.

Voters in each of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities have access to at least one location to vote early until Sunday, Nov. 3. Early voting hours will run most days from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. However, these hours will be expanded from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Oct. 29 and Oct. 31.

The option to vote early follows a constitutional amendment, which was approved by Connecticut voters in 2022, and subsequent legislation crafted by state lawmakers last year.

Although residents had the opportunity to vote early in primary elections earlier this year, Monday marks the first time Connecticut voters will have the option to vote early in a presidential general election, when turnout is typically higher.

In a press release last week, Gov. Ned Lamont said the new policy would provide voters with an early option that mirrored the traditional in-person Election Day voting process.

“Connecticut is finally joining the rest of the nation by having a system of early voting, and our hope is that the convenience this creates will encourage more people to vote,” Lamont said.

Connecticut’s adoption of an early voting policy leaves voters in only Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire without the option to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.

After residents voted to amend the state constitution to permit early voting in Connecticut, legislators approved a policy allowing 14 days of in-person voting.

The two-week period is shorter than the early voting window in many other states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which found the national average was 20 days. However, voting periods in U.S. states ranged from three to 46 days, the NCSL found.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said the start of Connecticut’s early voting window followed months of efforts by her office and local administrators across the state to ensure a safe and secure election.

“After years of waiting, voters will no longer need to worry that an emergency or unexpected event could prevent them from casting their vote,” Thomas said.

In many municipalities, local election officials are conducting early voting at the town or city hall. However, municipalities with populations exceeding 20,000 residents have the option of operating additional early voting locations.

Voters can visit myvote.ct.gov for a list of early voting locations in each Connecticut town and city.