2020 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
2016 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed out ballots
0
%
State election policies as of 2022...
Full Vote-at-Home
0/10
Full Vote-at-Home
Voter automatically mailed ballot for every election
No Excuse Required
1/6
No Excuse Required
No excuse to vote from home
Single Sign-Up
1/6
Single Sign-Up
Voter signs up once to receive mail ballot for all future elections
Local Vote-at-Home Option
0/5
Local VAH Option
Local governments have discretion to conduct full vote-at-home elections
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
2/2
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
Voter can apply for mail ballot online
Ballot Tracking
1/4
Ballot Tracking
Voter can receive ballot status notifications.
In-Person Ballot Return
1/5
In-Person Ballot Return
Voter has multiple options to return mail ballot in person
Signature Verification
0/4
Signature Verification
Voter signature verified before ballot is counted
Ballot Cure Process
0/4
Ballot Cure Process
Voter can correct issues so ballot can be counted
Prepaid Postage
0/4
Prepaid Postage
Postage-paid return envelopes provided
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
0/4
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted
In-Person Voting
2/4
In-Person Return
Physical locations for voters to vote and receive assistance
Pre-Processing
0/3
Signature Verification
Ballots are verified and scanned before Election Day
Mail Ballot Applications
2/2
Mail Ballot Applications
Election officials can mail ballot applications to all voters eligible to vote from home
Ballot Return Assistance
1/2
Ballot Return Assistance
Voters may receive assistance to return their mail ballot
Opportunities
Connecticut should continue its enormous progress in expanding mail voting. By passing a constitutional amendment to make no-excuse absentee voting permanent, Connecticut can give its citizens the opportunity to vote in whichever manner they find safest and most convenient.
Connecticut can reduce costs and increase voter convenience by expanding its permanent absentee voting list, where voters can sign up to automatically be sent an absentee ballot for each election without having to re-apply. Expanding Connecticut’s permanent absentee option to all residents rather than just disabled voters would save the state significant expenses by cutting down on the requests it needs to process; on average, states save $1 for every request they no longer need to process.
Simplifying the return process for a ballot is just as important as simplifying the request process. While Connecticut prepaid postage for the 2020 elections, the state should make prepaid postage permanent for all future elections.
We highly recommend creating vote centers, or polling locations where any voter in the county can vote. This is a way to streamline the system so over time, as the share of the vote cast by mail increases, counties can have fewer overall polling locations, while individual voters will have more voting location options. Additionally, we recommend including provisions to allow for ballots to be received at polling and vote centers, as well as other locations deemed necessary by the clerk, as a low cost way to increase return options.
Accepting ballots with Election Day postmarks is a best practice to ensure that voters are given all options to vote their ballot promptly, and is estimated in most jurisdictions to decrease ballot rejection rates by half. We recommend that not only does a state allow the physical postmark on a ballot, but also to integrate into the USPS system for electronic postmarks to serve as validation that a ballot was mailed on time.
As the use of absentee ballots increases, it is important to make sure that the ballots received are being filled out by the individuals they were sent to. Signature verification procedures ensure the security of the election process while also streamlining ballot processing.
If a voter’s ballot is rejected, said voter should have the ability to cure any fixable errors with their ballot quickly and simply. As more voters use absentee ballots and, understandably, the number of rejected absentee ballots increases, we recommend implementing a Text2Cure system that allows voters to cure their ballots from their phones.
With a drastic increase in mail ballots, Connecticut has a great opportunity to reach for the gold standard of post-election security by implementing risk-limiting audits.
Connecticut can increase voter confidence by making permanent and improving its ballot tracking that allows voters to track their ballot much like an Amazon package. Advanced ballot tracking systems can proactively notify voters when their ballot takes a new step in the path from being sent to them to finally being counted (or rejected). If a ballot is rejected, these ballot tracking tools can be used as another method to contact voters if there is a signature mismatch or deficiency on their return envelope.
Processing mail ballots to get them ready for counting before election day helps get faster election results. Connecticut allowed additional days of preprocessing as a result of the pandemic and is looking to make it permanent in SB5. Preliminary data also suggests that preprocessing helps avoid any blue or red shifts when there are differences in the partisan lean of mail vs. in-person ballots, which could increase voter confidence in the results of elections.
Recent Legislation
As of August 24, 2021
In 2020, Connecticut allowed all voters to vote by absentee ballot due to the pandemic and sent absentee applications to all voters. Additionally, the state implemented drop boxes and allowed additional days to preprocess ballots temporarily.
In 2021, the state has striven to continue the progress of 2020 by seeking to pass a constitutional amendment to allow voting by mail without needing an excuse. One of these bills, HJ 58, passed both chambers without 75% support so will need to pass again next year for it to be put on the ballot in the upcoming November election. On a brighter note, a constitutional amendment (HJ59) passed to add early voting and will be put on the ballot for voters to approve in 2022. If voters approve it in 2022, the state will have to implement it with legislation, rules, and regulations. Another bill of interest is SB 5, which codifies many of the temporary changes from 2020 and passed the Senate in May, but as of writing has yet to pass the House. Finally, the state made drop boxes permanent and will build an online absentee request system, as well as extend a variety of temporary measures to the end of 2021, including no excuse absentee voting and preprocessing.
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