Advocates urge Appropriations panel to fully fund Connecticut Voting Rights Act, early and absentee voting implementation

Jonathan Perlow, a Cos Cob resident, told the General Government A subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee on Feb. 14 that the panel must "fully fund election implementation and administration and the protection of voting rights," including the Connecticut Voting Rights Act, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.

The testimony by Perlow and several other speakers said the governor's proposed budget would leave the state without the resources needed to make recent voting reforms accessible and equitable. "Making voting easy and accessible to everyone takes resources," Perlow said, noting that "more than 850,000 voters took advantage of early voting last year." He asked the committee to "please work with the governor to fully fund elections and protecting our freedom to vote."

The nut graf: Witnesses representing civil-rights groups, municipal election officials and voting-rights organizations said the legislature must appropriate funds previously covered by federal pandemic-era aid and must add resources for ongoing election administration, training for election workers, and voter education so newly enacted reforms work in practice.

Speakers asked the committee to replace American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that previously paid for parts of the rollout. Martin Harris, a policy associate at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, told the panel the secretary of the state's office has said it needs $1,400,000 per fiscal year to implement the Connecticut Voting Rights Act; that amount previously was paid with ARPA funds and now must be included in the biennial state budget. "Without adequately funding these programs, the Connecticut Voting Rights Act would be severely undercut," Harris said.

Patricia Rossi, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, and Barbara Richardson Crouch, Register of Voters in Sprague speaking for ROVAC, said the state must increase funding for election administration and voter education rather than cut it. "Without voter education, the reforms the legislature has put in place can't reach the voters who need them," Rossi said. Crouch said state funding and support from the Secretary of the State's office were "a major factor in the success" of early voting and warned that cuts would make future rollouts more difficult for voters and local officials.

Corly Santana, policy and advocacy strategist with Connecticut Project Action Funds, pointed to the breadth of voter support for the changes. "This past November, [the absentee referendum] passed with 58% support," Santana said, and argued that the state should plan for a robust implementation that serves "all eligible voters fairly." Isabelle Barber of Old Lyme added a public-health framing, saying jurisdictions with inclusive voting policies tend to have better civic participation and better health outcomes.

Witnesses urged the subcommittee to fund election worker pay, training, voter education, and equitable distribution of resources so voting access does not depend on a town's budget. Several speakers emphasized that many of the protections in the Connecticut Voting Rights Act and the new voting methods are only meaningful if the state provides the staff, training and public information needed to make them operational.

No formal votes were taken at the hearing. Speakers requested that the Appropriations Committee restore or add line items to meet the secretary of state's full budget request for election administration and to appropriate recurring funds for CTVRA implementation and for early and no-excuse absentee voting implementation.