HARTFORD – State Senator Mae Flexer and the Democrat-led state Senate this evening gave final, bipartisan passage to House Bill 5004, “AN ACT IMPLEMENTING EARLY VOTING,” which establishes a framework for early, in-person voting for all general elections, primaries, and special elections in Connecticut held on or after January 1, 2024.
Sen. Flexer, who is Senate Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, led Democrats in passing the bill after 60% of Connecticut voters approved of an early voting change last fall to the state constitution. Forty-six American states already allow some form of early voting.
The bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan 27-7 vote and now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature of the bill into law.
“We’ve spent several years in Connecticut advancing this issue and getting to this point of approving early voting. Now we’ve got to catch up to the other 46 states in America that already have early voting in their states,” Sen. Flexer said. “Sometimes it’s hard for us who live and breathe politics to understand the balance that is required in other people’s lives to make the time to go out and vote. That’s essential for us to remember. This bill will make a huge difference in getting people to participate in our democracy, and to have their voices heard. And it is my great hope, that in the future we’ll see that early voting has increased the participation of the citizens of our state.”
Specifically, the bill requires a 14-day early voting period for general elections, a seven-day period for most primaries, and a four-day early voting period for special elections and presidential preference primaries.,/p>
Every city and town in Connecticut must establish at least one early voting location and towns with more than 20,000 residents may establish more. Early voting locations must be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., including weekends, except that on the last Tuesday and Thursday before the election, the locations must be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The bill also sets various requirements and procedures for early voting including voter eligibility, same-day election registration, ballot custody, staffing and training, and materials.