Connecticut says early voting and local outreach expanded access without eroding voter confidence

WASHINGTON — Connecticut’s Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas told the House Subcommittee on Elections that her office’s preparations for the first statewide early voting period, strengthening list maintenance, audits and community outreach helped broaden access while sustaining voter confidence.

Thomas said Connecticut saw 40% of voters use early voting in 2024 and that the state implemented early voting alongside a 2023 state-level Voting Rights Act that codified language-access and transparency provisions. She described a collaborative approach: monthly meetings beginning in 2023 with election workers and fusion-center partners, town-level trainings for police and poll workers on emergency scenarios, and a “CEO” program that recruited more than 250 businesses and organizations to help explain early voting.

Thomas said Connecticut uses paper ballots, performs regular audits and requires certification and continuing education for election workers. The state also deployed volunteer attorneys on election day and an investigatory agency to receive and review complaints. She told the committee these steps “helped our elections run smoothly even as 40% of our voters switched to early voting for the first time.”

Members asked about misinformation and whether the new procedures caused confusion. Thomas said the state ran targeted media campaigns and community outreach to explain processes and to provide trusted sources for information.

The testimony described Connecticut’s approach as incremental and cautious: expand access while maintaining procedural safeguards and public outreach. No committee action was taken at the hearing.