Senator Cohen Votes to Pass No-Excuse Absentee Voting Legislation

HARTFORD – Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) voted Wednesday in favor of legislation expanding absentee voting access for all Connecticut residents, fulfilling a mandate voters approved at the ballot box in November 2024, when 58% supported amending the state constitution to allow absentee voting without requiring a specific excuse.

House Bill 5001 passed the Senate today and now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature into law.

HB 5001 fulfills the results of the November 2024 statewide referendum. Connecticut joins 28 other states plus Washington, D.C., that already offer no-excuse absentee voting. Previously, Connecticut voters were required to meet one of five specific excuses to cast an absentee ballot: active military service, being out of town, being sick, personal religious beliefs, or serving as an election official.

“Fifty-eight percent of Connecticut voters made this decision at the ballot box in November 2024, and it was our job to follow through,” Senator Cohen said. “I am proud that we did exactly that, removing barriers that for too long kept eligible voters from participating on their own terms. This is a win for every voter in my district, and across Connecticut, who believes that democracy works best when everyone can be part of it.”

HB 5001 has multiple sections, each designed to increase and improve the democratic voting process in Connecticut. Sections include:

• No Excuse Absentee Voting – Expands absentee voting to all eligible voters, instead of requiring voters to have a specified excuse to vote
• Absentee Ballot Application Distribution – Modifies requirements for mailing unsolicited absentee ballot applications
• Absentee Ballot Tracking Software – Requires the Secretary of the State to develop and install absentee ballot tracking software
• Automatic Absentee Ballot Application Status – Creates procedures for voters to request that absentee ballot applications automatically be sent to them for elections they are eligible to vote in
• SEEC Investigatory Authority – Authorizes SEEC to investigate and resolve alleged violations concerning election regulations
• Municipal Election Frequency – Allows municipalities to hold municipal elections every four years if authorized by their Charter
• Attorney General Action on Federal Election Interference – Authorizes the AG to seek certain court relief to prevent or resolve interference in elections for federal offices
• Absentee Voting and Early Voting for Certain 17-Year-Old Voters – Allows citizens who are 17 years old and will be 18 years old before election day to vote by absentee ballot or use early voting for that election
• Prohibited Acts Near an Elections Site – Generally prohibits law enforcement from knowingly being within 250 feet of an elections site, with certain exceptions, or being within this perimeter to check voter qualifications; prohibits anyone from wearing a mask or other covering within 250 feet of an election site, with certain exceptions; establishes criminal penalties for violations and disenfranchises individuals for certain violations
• Harassment of Election Workers – Increases the penalty for subsequent offenses of an existing prohibition against harassing election workers to interfere with their election day duties; expands existing harassment protections to assistant town clerks
• Prohibition on Sharing Tabulators or Tabulator Parts With Unauthorized Third Parties – Makes it a class D felony for an election official to give a third party any tabulator or tabulator part or appliance unless authorized by SOTS
• Absentee Ballot Drop Box Tampering – Penalizes several acts concerning absentee ballot drop boxes, including tampering with them, the ballots inside, or ballots removed from them
• Attorney General Authority to Bring an Action – Expands the AG’s authority to investigate, intervene in, and take certain actions when anyone has established a policy that deprives or interferes with another person’s civil rights; specifies that interfering with another person’s civil rights (or attempting to) includes doing so by physical obstruction
• Voter Participation Efforts – Establishes a task force to study achieving 100% voter participation; allows municipalities to conduct pilot programs to achieve this