Secretary of the State urges funding, planning as Connecticut considers early-voting fixes

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas told the Government Administration and Elections Committee that Connecticut’s early‑voting experiments and proposals for broader absentee voting require money, staff and time to be implemented securely and fairly.

“Voter access and election integrity are very important to me,” Thomas said in opening testimony, adding that her office “will need to develop and adopt new procedures, regulations, public education materials, and much more” if the legislature moves quickly on major changes such as universal absentee or ranked‑choice voting.

Thomas framed her comments as practical guidance to lawmakers, not a policy endorsement. She said a state can either “invest upfront to ensure rapid and reliable implementation, or … extend the timeline to build the system slowly,” and warned that “quick adoption without investment creates a dangerous strain on the system.”

Why it matters: Connecticut enacted early voting for the first time in 2024. Town clerks and registrars told the committee that running early voting is resource‑intensive — staffing, space, equipment and voter education all add costs — and that several implementation details in bills before the committee, such as adding a second early‑voting site at college campuses or switching early ballots from an envelope system to direct tabulation, could require changes in logistics and additional funding.

Key points from witnesses and committee Q&A - Funding and timetables: Thomas said a gradual roll‑out is preferable if the state will not provide the appropriation needed to do a rapid, secure expansion. Multiple committee members emphasized town budgets and asked whether bills now on the table include municipal funding. Thomas said Appropriations is separately considering early‑voting costs; local clerks asked for clarity and an implementation date if policy changes are adopted. - Multiple locations and college campuses: Thomas supported the idea of adding campus locations. She noted towns with more than 20,000 residents already may use multiple locations, and said many towns will now consider multiple sites after one season of experience. Registrars warned that operating a second early‑voting site is not the same as adding a single election‑day polling place and urged a delayed implementation or additional state support for campus sites. - Same‑day registration: Thomas defended same‑day registration as a widely used reform and said existing verification processes must be maintained at each location. Senators and representatives raised concerns about precincts that saw large numbers of same‑day registrants (Mansfield, where University of Connecticut students voted in large volume, was repeatedly discussed) and whether registrars and moderators had the time to verify eligibility. Thomas said SEEK (the State Elections Enforcement Commission) is the investigatory avenue for allegations and that public education and registration drives on campuses can reduce last‑minute surges. - Ballot handling and tabulators: Several town registrars and the state Director of Elections described a provision in a technical bill that would move in‑person early ballots off envelope reconciliation and into direct tabulation — a change registrars said would reduce administrative burden but raised concerns about maintaining identity verification and a clear chain of custody. Registrars requested retaining a visible oath or printed label so voters and clerks can double‑check ballot district and names.

Discussion v. decision: The hearing recorded extended discussion and a range of technical concerns but not a formal committee vote on any bill. Lawmakers asked follow‑up questions; registrars described operational constraints. Thomas repeatedly asked the committee to weigh not only policy intent but the resources required to implement changes statewide.

What remains unsettled: - Funding: multiple witnesses requested clear, dedicated state appropriations for new early‑voting requirements (additional sites, tabulator changes, staff time and public education). - Campus sites: bills would require colleges with significant on‑campus populations to be served; registrars asked for time to plan and budget for second locations or for the second site to be on campus rather than off site. - Verification and process changes: registrars requested safeguards such as printed check labels or preserved oath/envelope mechanisms if tabulators are adopted for in‑person early voting.

Quotes (selected): - “Election reform is not magic. If Connecticut wants a well run, more expansive election program, it needs to be willing to invest in it,” — Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. - “If a polling place felt overwhelmed, this is why public education is a great investment,” — Secretary Thomas on avoiding last‑minute same‑day registration surges.

Speakers - Stephanie Thomas — Secretary of the State (government). First reference: tc_start 104.735 evidence_excerpt: “Vogue Chairs, Ranking Members, Vice Chairs. So lehi me start by saying, voter access and election integrity are very important to me.” - Kristen Sullivan — Director of Elections, Office of the Secretary of the State (government). First reference: tc_start 5045.285 evidence_excerpt: “Kristen Sullivan. I'm director of elections. I mean, I I think we would need to update the instructions for the absentee ballot …” - Elizabeth Russo — Registrar of Voters, West Hartford (government). First reference: tc_start 9289.72 evidence_excerpt: “West Hartford had the second highest turnout for early voting in the general election with 16,820 voters choosing to vote early over 14 days.” - Sue Larson — Robach legislative committee / town registrar representative (citizen). First reference: tc_start 10153.67 evidence_excerpt: “We Rovac is saying this bill does not go far enough. … we need some form of an affidavit or a log sheet in order to verify who the voters are that are doing early voting.” - Patty Spruance — President, Connecticut Town Clerk Association; Town Clerk, Wyndham (government). First reference: tc_start 14672.145 evidence_excerpt: “We support HB 7241 … But because of what needs to happen to assert the fact that we get it right with the applications and with having everything in place, we would ask you to give us an implementation date of 01/01/2026.”

Authorities referenced (in testimony) - HB 7241 — “absentee voting for all” (referenced by Secretary Thomas and multiple witnesses) - HB 7242 — “study an increase in voter participation” (task‑force measure) - SB 1535 / SB 1536 — bills on ranked‑choice voting referenced by multiple witnesses - SEEK / State Elections Enforcement Commission — investigatory process (referenced by Secretary Thomas and witnesses) - ERIC — interstate data‑sharing consortium referenced by Secretary Thomas

Clarifying details - 16,820 — West Hartford early votes over 14 days (Registrar Elizabeth Russo) - 500,000 — Secretary Thomas conservative estimate of how many Connecticut voters could use absentee voting if universal absentee is adopted (approximate; referenced in testimony) - 800,000 — peak absentee ballots in 2020 pandemic (Secretary Thomas cited as past figure; approximate) - ERIC participation reported by Secretary Thomas as roughly 24–25 states (approximate; fluctuates over time)

Community relevance - Geographies: statewide; college towns highlighted (Mansfield/UConn, Hartford, West Hartford) - Impact groups: college students, town clerks/registrars, early‑voting staff, voters who rely on absentee or early voting - Funding sources referenced: state appropriations (requested), municipal budgets

Meeting context - Engagement level: high (many witnesses, lengthy debate; Secretary Thomas and multiple registrars provided operational testimony) - Items_count: numerous election bills (multiple HB/SB numbers discussed) - Implementation risk: medium — multiple bills would alter processes and require IT/training/funding - History: early voting first implemented statewide in 2024; committee is now considering technical fixes and expansion

Searchable_tags:["early_voting","same_day_registration","absentee_voting","Secretary_of_State","election_administration","municipal_funding"]

Provenance - transcript_segments: [{"block_id":"s104.735","local_start":0,"local_end":174,"evidence_excerpt":"Vogue Chairs, Ranking Members, Vice Chairs. So lehi me start by saying, voter access and election integrity are very important to me. And as a citizen and as a voter, I would really, really, really love to support all of the election bills on today's agenda. But as secretary of the state, my job is not just to support good ideas. It's to ensure that changes to our election system are implemented in ways that are fair, secure, transparent, and help to make our democracy stronger.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s9289.72","local_start":0,"local_end":86,"evidence_excerpt":"My name is Elizabeth Russo. I am a registrar of voters for the town of West Hartford. West Hartford had the second highest turnout for early voting in the general election with 16,820 voters choosing to vote early over 14 days.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]