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Voting is officially underway in Connecticut. Tens of thousands of absentee ballots started going out on Friday for the hotly-contested November general election. Only certain voters are allowed to vote by mail in Connecticut, but that could change soon.
ABSENTEE BALLOTING BEGINS At Norwalk City Hall, one room is filled with thousands of absentee ballots. “We are actually in the absentee ballot command center,” said Norwalk Town Clerk Rick McQuaid. As of Friday, all those ballots can finally be mailed to voters. “We’ve sent out, by mail, close to 1,300 absentee ballots,” McQuaid said. In the first few hours, dozens of people showed up to request absentee ballots. But they all had to give a valid reason. “I will be out of the country on Nov. 5,” said Norwalk voter Stan Satty. “I wanted to make sure it was done and my voice was heard.”
VOTE-BY-MAIL FOR EVERYONE? But that could change soon. On this year’s ballot, voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment, dropping absentee ballot restrictions. “The question is at the very top of the ballot,” said Democratic Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. Bysiewicz joined several groups in Hartford Friday to push for the change. They said voting by mail is easier for working people. “Workers need to be able to vote,” said Coralys Santana with the Connecticut Project Action Fund. “But for many, especially working parents – I know because I am one – the job and the family responsibilities that we all take on can get in the way of voting in person.” This year, Connecticut will offer in-person early voting for the first time. It runs for 14 days, starting on Oct. 21. But Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne said it’s still difficult for certain workers. “I often think about our health care workers, correctional officers, and first responders like EMTs,” he said.
SECURITY ISSUES? Almost three dozen states already let anyone can cast an absentee ballot, including 14 states led by Republican governors, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures . But critics say Connecticut’s system is broken. As proof, they point to multiple ballot scandals in Bridgeport. So far, four campaign workers are
charged with ballot tampering. State election regulators have
referred several others to prosecutors. One Bridgeport voter told News 12 Connecticut that absentee balloting shouldn’t be expanded. “Absolutely not,” said John Torres. “That was a disaster; it would be a disaster for Bridgeport. It's how they steal elections here.” But others don’t think one city should make it harder for everyone else to vote. “Bank robbers go into banks, but so do regular people,” said Robert Elson, of Norwalk. “You can’t close the banks.” Satty agreed. “I think voting should be made as easy as possible,” he said. “The idea is to remove barriers rather than add barriers.”
HOW TO CAST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT You can request a ballot by mail,
online or in person. Completed ballots must be received by Election Day, which is Nov. 5.
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