Tag: Stephanie Thomas

Connecticut’s Early Voting Faces Scrutiny amid Low Turnout

The Center Square
Voting Station

Connecticut Republicans are calling for changes to the early voting law after the state’s top election official suggested that the weeklong voting period should be shortened amid lackluster turnout. 

“For many months, Connecticut Republicans raised repeated concerns over the burden that many days of early voting would place on town budgets statewide,” Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, and other GOP lawmakers said in a statement calling for reforms to the system. “Simply put, it’s a waste of taxpayer money which puts unnecessary heavy burdens on our hard-working local election officials.”

Read the full story

Connecticut Lawmakers Moving to Restrict ‘Faithless’ Electors

The Center Square
Matt Blumenthal

Connecticut has never had a “faithless” elector who refused to certify the results of a presidential election, but some state lawmakers argue there needs to be a law preventing it.

A legislative proposal, which recently cleared a key committee, would nullify the electoral vote of a so-called “faithless” presidential elector in Connecticut who fails to cast their ballot for the candidates that the elector ran on the official ballot.

Read the full story

Connecticut Elections Chief Calls for Reforms After Ballot Stuffing Scandal

The Center Square
Stephanie Thomas

Connecticut’s top election official is calling for reforms in the wake of a ballot stuffing scandal in Bridgeport’s mayoral race, where some people were allegedly paid cash to fill out mail ballots.

Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas said her office had referred allegations about election “malfeasance” in the February redo of the mayoral race to the State Elections Enforcement Commission to investigate, including reports from voters who received absentee ballots despite not requesting them.  

Read the full story