Connecticut Question 1, Allow for Early Voting Amendment (2022)
| Connecticut Question 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Voting policy measures | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
Connecticut Question 1, the Allow for Early Voting Amendment, was on the ballot in Connecticut as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 8, 2022.[1] The measure was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the state constitution to authorize the state legislature to provide by law for in-person early voting before an election. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the state constitution, thereby maintaining that early voting is not authorized in the state. |
Election results
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Connecticut Question 1 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
687,385 | 60.53% | ||
| No | 448,295 | 39.47% | ||
Overview
What did the amendment do?
- See also: Text of measure
The measure amended the Connecticut Constitution to allow the Connecticut General Assembly to pass laws to provide for early voting in person. Going into the election, the state constitution did not allow for early voting. As of June 2022, Connecticut was one of five states that did not allow for early voting in some form.[2][1]
How many states allow early voting?
- See also: Early voting
As of June 2022, 45 states and the District of Columbia had enacted early voting laws. This includes Delaware, which enacted an early voting law in 2019 that was set to take effect in 2022. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day.[2]
Have Connecticut voters considered early voting before?
- See also: Connecticut Question 1 (2014)
In 2014, Connecticut voters defeated a constitutional amendment that would have authorized the state Legislature to allow early voting in the state and remove the restrictions on absentee voting. At the time of the election, absentee voting was allowed for a limited number of reasons including "absence from the city or town of which they are inhabitants or because of sickness or physical disability or because the tenets of their religion forbid secular activity." The amendment was defeated by a margin of 52.03% to 47.97%.
The 2022 amendment authorized in-person early voting but not an expansion of absentee voting like the 2014 amendment. During the 2021 legislative session, the state Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that may appear on the ballot in 2024 to expand absentee voting. The amendment needed to be voted on again in the next legislative session for it to qualify for the ballot.[3]
How did the amendment get on the ballot?
- See also: Path to the ballot
The constitutional amendment was introduced in the state Legislature as House Joint Resolution 161 (HJR 161) during the 2019-2020 legislative session. The House approved it by a margin of 125-24, and the Senate approved it by a vote of 23-13. If a constitutional amendment does not receive a 75% supermajority vote in one legislative session, the amendment must receive a simple majority vote in two consecutive legislative sessions to be referred to the ballot. The House met the 75% supermajority requirement (113 votes), but the Senate did not meet the vote requirement (27 votes) for a one-session referral.[4]
During the 2021-2022 legislative session, the amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 59 (HJR 59). HJR 59 passed the House by a vote 115-26 with 10 absent or not voting. It passed the Senate by a vote of 26-9 with one absent.[4]
All Democratic legislators voted either in favor of the bill or were not voting. Republican legislators were divided, with a majority voting against the amendment during both legislative sessions.[4]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ | Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?[5] | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Articles VI, III, and IV of the Connecticut Constitution
The measure amended Articles VI, III, and IV of the state constitution. The following underlined text was added, and struck-through text was deleted:[6]
Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the text below to see the full text.
Article VI Text of Section 7: The general assembly may provide by law for voting in the choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted on at an election by qualified voters of the state who are unable to appear at the polling place on the day of election because of absence from the city or town of which they are inhabitants or because of sickness, or physical disability or because the tenets of their religion forbid secular activity. The general assembly may further provide by law for voting in person prior to the day of election in the choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted on at an election by qualified voters of the state. Article III Text of Section 9: At all elections for members of the general assembly the presiding officers in the several towns shall Article IV Text of Section 4:
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Full text
The full text of the resolution can be read here.
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 12, and the FRE is 43. The word count for the ballot title is 18.
Support
Yes for Freedom to Vote Early led the campaign in support of the measure.[7]
Supporters
Officials
- State Rep. James Maroney (D)
- House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R)
- Speaker of the House Matthew Ritter (D)
- House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D)
- State Rep. Stephanie Thomas (D)
- Secretary of State Denise Merrill (D)
Organizations
Arguments
Opposition
If you are aware of any opponents or opposing arguments, please send an email with a link to [email protected].
Opponents
Officials
- State Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco (R)
Arguments
Campaign finance
Yes for Freedom to Vote Early registered to support the committee. The committee reported $584,501 in cash and in-kind contributions and $562,876 in cash expenditures.[8]
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| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $562,876.00 | $21,625.00 | $584,501.00 | $562,876.00 | $584,501.00 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of Question 1.[8]
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| Committees in support of Question 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Yes for Freedom to Vote Early | $562,876.00 | $21,625.00 | $584,501.00 | $562,876.00 | $584,501.00 |
| Total | $562,876.00 | $21,625.00 | $584,501.00 | $562,876.00 | $584,501.00 |
Donors
The following were the top five donors to the support committee.[8]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Connecticut Project Action Fund, Inc. | $250,000.00 | $0.00 | $250,000.00 |
| District 1199 Political Advances Through Legislative Success | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| National Education Association | $40,000.00 | $0.00 | $40,000.00 |
| SEIU Connecticut State Council PAC | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $0.00 | $21,625.00 | $21,625.00 |
Methodology
To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.
Background
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Connecticut does not permit no-excuse early voting.
As of June 2022, 45 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting in some form:[9]
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- District of Columbia
- Delaware[10]
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia[11]
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Connecticut Question 1 (2014)
- See also: Question 1 (2014)
In 2014, Connecticut voters defeated Question 1 by a margin of 52.03% to 47.97%. Question 1 would have permitted the legislature to allow early voting and remove restrictions on voting by absentee ballot. At the time of the election, Connecticut voters could not vote early or by absentee ballot except for a limited number of reasons including "absence from the city or town of which they are inhabitants or because of sickness or physical disability or because the tenets of their religion forbid secular activity." The 2022 amendment would authorize in-person early voting but not an expansion of absentee voting like the 2014 amendment. During the 2021 legislative session, the state Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that may appear on the ballot in 2024 to expand absentee voting. The amendment needs to be voted on again in the next legislative session for it to qualify for the ballot.[12]
Voting statistics during presidential election years
2020 general election
In 2020, a total of 154 million voters cast ballots in the November general election. Of that total, 106.6 million (69%) cast their vote by mail or early in-person, and 47 million (30%) cast their vote in-person on election day. The chart below shows the breakdown by voting method:[13]
Early and absentee voting in presidential election years
The U.S. Census Bureau reported the share of early and absentee voting grew from 10.5% in 1996 to 69.4% in 2020. The chart below shows the proportion of early and absentee voting during presidential elections years between 1996 and 2020:[14]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Connecticut Constitution
The Connecticut Constitution provides two paths for the Connecticut General Assembly to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot. First, a 75% vote in each chamber of the legislature during one legislative session can refer an amendment. Second, a simple majority vote (50%+1) in each chamber of the legislature during two legislative sessions can refer an amendment. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
2019–2020 legislative session
The constitutional amendment was introduced into the Connecticut General Assembly as House Joint Resolution 161 (HJR 161) during the 2019 legislative session.[1]
On April 24, 2019, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed HJR 161, meeting the three-fourths vote required to approve a constitutional amendment during one legislative session. As there was one vacant seat in the House, 113 votes were needed to approve the amendment during one session. The vote on HJR 161 was 125 to 24.[1]
On May 8, 2019, the Connecticut State Senate passed HJR 161; however, the three-fourths vote required to approve an amendment during one session was not met. The vote was 23 to 13. At least 27 votes were needed to meet the three-fourths threshold.[1]
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2021–2022 legislative session
As the constitutional amendment was approved during the 2019 legislative session by a simple majority vote in each chamber, legislators needed to approve the amendment again during the 2021–2022 legislative session by a simple majority vote.
The amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution (HJR 59). It was approved by the House on May 6, 2021, by a vote of 115-26 with 10 absent or not voting. On May 27, 2021, the Senate approved HJR 59 by a vote of 26-9 with one absent.[4]
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How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Connecticut
Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Connecticut.
| How to cast a vote in Connecticut | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll timesIn Connecticut, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[15] Registration
To vote in Connecticut, one must be a U.S. citizen and Connecticut resident who is at least 17 years-old and will be 18 on or before Election Day.[16] Registration applications can be submitted online or completed via paper forms. The deadline for mail-in applications is 18 days before an election or primary, while same-day registration is available but must be completed at designated election-day registration locations in each town.[17] Automatic registrationConnecticut automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Online registration
Connecticut has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. Same-day registrationConnecticut allows same-day voter registration. Residency requirementsTo register to vote in Connecticut, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible. Verification of citizenshipConnecticut does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, if you knowingly providing false information, "you can be convicted and imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to $5,000."[18] All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[19] As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters. Verifying your registrationThe site Voter Registration Lookup, run by the Connecticut Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online. Voter ID requirementsConnecticut requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[20] A voter who does not present a required ID may sign an affidavit with their name, address, and date of birth, and then election officials may determine that the voter is eligible to vote.[21] The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Connecticut Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information. First-time voters who registered by mail must present one of the following forms of identification to vote in an election with federal candidates on the ballot:
Other voters must present one of the following forms of identification:
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Connecticut General Assembly, "House Joint Resolution 161," accessed April 26, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedncsl - ↑ Connecticut State Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 58," accessed June 9, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Connecticut State Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 59," accessed May 28, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Connecticut State Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 59," accessed May 28, 2021
- ↑ IBEW Local 90, "Yes for Freedom to Vote Early," accessed October 11, 2022
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 CRIS Search, "SEEC Campaign Reporting Information System (eCRIS)," accessed November 2, 2022
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Early In-Person Voting," accessed May 23, 2022
- ↑ Delaware enacted legislation in 2019 allowing early voting. It was set to take effect in 2022.
- ↑ Virginia enacted legislation in 2019 allowing early voting. It was set to take effect in 2020.
- ↑ Connecticut State Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 58," accessed June 9, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020," accessed April 2021
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Majority of Voters Used Nontraditional Methods to Cast Ballots in 2020," accessed April 29, 2021
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-174," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Voting Eligibility," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of the State, "State of Connecticut Mail-in Voter Registration," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "FAQ Voter ID," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "Sections 9-261," accessed November 1, 2024
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