At a moment when voting rights are being challenged across the country, there is fantastic news from Connecticut. On Saturday night, the State Senate passed a bill providing for Election Day voter registration as well as online registration.
The vote was 19-16, largely on party lines; two Democrats joined all 14 Republicans in voting no.
The action followed an April 30 vote in the Connecticut House of Representatives. The bill passed there 83-59, again largely on party lines with the Democratic majority supporting this important reform.
Passage in the Senate came despite a long filibuster and an unsuccessful attempt to amend the bill by adding a requirement that voters produce a photo ID on Election Day before casting their ballots. It was crushed by the majority.
Our win was a long time coming and the product of support from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, House and Senate leaders and the Chairs of the Government Administration and Elections Committee — Rep. Russ Morin and Sen. Gayle Slossberg.
It was also due in no small part to the great work of Demos President Miles Rapoport, a former Connecticut secretary of the state and state representative; as well as Carolyn Gabel-Brett, a former Democracy Works’ Executive Director; and former State Rep. Americo Santiago. Gabel-Brett and Santiago are members of the CCCT board. In addition, we had important support from our allies at the League of Women Voters.
As always we also had great work by Common Cause in Connecticut staff, volunteers and supporters!
Pictured above: Denise Merrill, Connecticut Secretary of the State; Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director Common Cause Connecticut; State Rep. Russ Morin; and Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause Vice President for State Operations.