When voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, they will find a referendum question on their ballot. They will be asked if they think the state constitution should be amended to allow anyone registered to vote to request an absentee ballot, regardless of reason:
“Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?”
A “yes” vote to the referendum question allows lawmakers, as early as the next legislative session in January, to raise a bill to create legislation that would put no-excuse absentee ballot for all eligible voters into place.
A “no” vote would keep the current language in the state constitution that requires voters to have a specific reason to request an absentee ballot.
As it stands in Connecticut, the only form of absentee ballot voting allowed is if a voter cannot vote in-person for reasons such as active military service, sickness, absence from their city or town on Election Day, physical disability, religious beliefs precluding secular activity on Election Day or performance of duties as an election official at a different polling place during voting hours.
If voters approve the amendment change, an absentee ballot would still be returned either in person or by mail to the voter’s city or town clerk’s office by the close of business the day before the election, or dropped in an official ballot drop-box before the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Last year lawmakers passed a resolution to put the no excuse absentee ballot question to voters this year. It is widely supported by lawmakers and organizations including the League of Women Voters of Connecticut and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut.
Matt Blumenthal, chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee and Stamford state senator, supports the constitutional amendment to further expand voting rights in the state. In 2022, Connecticut voters approved a ballot question to amend the state constitution to allow the General Assembly to pass a law to provide for early voting in person.
“It benefits every voter, allowing them, regardless of their circumstances to vote by absentee,” said Blumenthal. “Our current system is complex; it deters people from using this system.”
The concept does have some detractors. State Senator Rob Sampson from Wolcott said the current system needs to be strengthened before expanding voting policies. He’s concerned about the potential for abuse in how these policies are rolled out.
“The problem isn’t with expanding absentee voting itself — it’s with how the policy will be implemented by legislative Democrats,” said Sampson. “We’ve already seen troubling examples in places like West Haven and Bridgeport, where outdated voter rolls and a lack of security measures like photo ID, signature verification, and audits have led to contested elections. This erodes public confidence in the system. Without addressing these vulnerabilities, I fear that further expansion will only deepen those concerns.”
Blumenthal said the benefits would extend to election officials. “It helps election officials,” he said. “There’s significant redundancy right now, which means more money spent by towns to run elections and more labor-intensive work for election officials. This will harmonize the two types of voting.”
Blumenthal also said that no-excuse absentee ballot voting makes validating votes easier rather than harder. “This is not a new voting policy,” he said. “Thirty six states already have a version of absentee ballot voting for all. In these states, issues have been vanishingly rare. It makes sense for us to adopt a program that’s been working for the rest of our country.”
