To the Editor:
I am old enough to remember when voting was considered to be a patriotic duty.
Voting by mail in Connecticut will not continue unless we make it so.
Among the many lessons of the COVID pandemic, we have learned that the State of Connecticut is one of only 6 states in the country with no access to either early in-person voting days or to “no excuse” mail-in voting. When given the option to mail in our ballots in November 2020 due to COVID-19, the turnout for eligible Connecticut voters increased to 80%, a 3.5% increase from the high turnout in 2016.
I was thrilled to have an option besides standing in line on Election Day. I, for one, would like to see this increased voter access continue.
Our society has changed. We work long hours. We have long commutes. We have to contend with childcare and eldercare. Throw in an occasional blizzard, power outage, or pandemic, and continuing to have access to alternative voting methods just makes sense.
The Connecticut State Constitution currently does not allow for anything but in-person Election Day voting, and absentee ballots only under strict conditions. There is legislation being proposed this session in the Connecticut General Assembly to amend this, or at the very least, extend the option of “no excuse” mail-in ballots for another calendar year.
Lyme and Old Lyme residents, I urge you to reach out to your state Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) representatives, House Member Devon Carney (who represents Lyme and Old Lyme), State Senator Paul Formica (for the Town of Old Lyme), and State Senator Norm Needleman (for the Town of Lyme). (Their respective contact information is given below.) Encourage them to permanently increase our access to the polls in as many ways as possible! We deserve nothing less.
Sincerely,
Susan Fogliano,
Old Lyme.
Contact information for the CGA representatives is as follows:
State Rep. Devin Carney: [email protected]
State Senator Paul Formica: [email protected]
State Senator Norm Needleman: [email protected]