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Connecticut Amendment 2, Legislative Requirements to Transfer State Properties Amendment (2018)

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Connecticut Amendment 2
Flag of Connecticut.png
Election date
November 6, 2018
Topic
Property and State legislatures measures
Status
Approveda Approved
Type
Constitutional amendment		Origin
State legislature

Connecticut Amendment 2, the Legislative Requirements to Transfer State Properties Amendment, was on the ballot in Connecticut as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.[1] The measure was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this amendment to:
  • require a public hearing on bills to authorize the transfer, sale, or disposal of state-owned properties, such as state parks, forests, and conserved lands, to non-state entities and
  • require a two-thirds vote of the Connecticut General Assembly to authorize the transfer, sale, or disposal of land under the control of the state agriculture or environmental protection departments.
A "no" vote opposed this amendment to:
  • require a public hearing on bills to authorize the transfer, sale, or disposal of state-owned properties and
  • require a two-thirds vote of the Connecticut General Assembly to authorize the transfer, sale, or disposal of land under the control of the state agriculture or environmental protection departments.

Election results

Connecticut Amendment 2

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

954,467 84.55%
No 174,348 15.45%
Results are officially certified.
Source

Overview

As of 2018, how did the state transfer or sell public lands?

As of 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly had the power to pass land conveyance legislation, which allowed the state to transfer or sell specified parcels of public land to other entities, such as local governments for projects or private developers. Between 2011 and 2017, the state had approved land conveyance bills to authorize the transfer of around 250 acres to local governments and developers. About 91 percent of the acres authorized for transfer were conveyed to local governments. Most—61 percent—of the transfers were from the state Department of Transportation. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was authorized to make four transfers, totaling 29.7 acres. The state Department of Agriculture was not authorized to transfer lands between 2011 and 2017. As of 2018, a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber was required to pass land conveyance legislation.[1]

How did Amendment 2 change the land conveyance process?

Amendment 2 changed the process for passing conveyance legislation in Connecticut. First, Amendment 2 required a public hearing on conveyance bills, no matter which state department was to make the land transfer. Second, Amendment 2 required a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the state legislature to authorize the transfer, sale, or disposal of land under the control of the state agriculture or environmental protection departments.[1]

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:[1]

“ Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to require (1) a public hearing and the enactment of legislation limited in subject matter to the transfer, sale or disposition of state-owned or state-controlled real property or interests in real property in order for the General Assembly to require a state agency to sell, transfer or dispose of any real property or interest in real property that is under the custody or control of the agency, and (2) if such property is under the custody or control of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, that such enactment of legislation be passed by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of each house of the General Assembly?[2] ”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article III, Connecticut Constitution

The measure was written to add a Section 19 to Article III of the Connecticut Constitution:[1]

Note: Due to the ordering of Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 of 2018, which both proposed adding a Section 19 to Article III, this amendment was added as Section 20 no Section 19 as the phrasing of the bill stated.

Sec. 19. (a) The general assembly shall not enact any legislation requiring a state agency to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any real property or interest in real property that is under the custody or control of such agency to any person or entity other than another state agency unless a committee of the general assembly has held a public hearing regarding such sale, transfer or disposition of such property or interest and the act of the general assembly requiring such sale, transfer or disposition of real property or interest in real property is limited in subject matter to provisions concerning such sale, transfer or disposition.

(b) In the case of real property or an interest in real property that is under the custody or control of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or a successor agency of either department, in addition to complying with the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, any act requiring the sale, transfer or disposition of such property or interest shall pass upon roll call by a yea vote of at least two-thirds of the total membership of each house.[2]

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.


The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 52, and the FRE is -60. The word count for the ballot title is 122, and the estimated reading time is 32 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level N/A, and the FRE is N/A. The word count for the ballot summary is N/A, and the estimated reading time is N/A.

In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here.

Support

Organizations

  • Connecticut Forest & Park Association[3]
  • League of Women Voters of Connecticut[4]

Arguments

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association released a one-page flyer in support of the amendment, which said:[3]

“

Every year, the CT General Assembly considers a “Conveyance Bill” to sell, swap, or give away state-owned public lands. Valuable public lands like State Parks, Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, and Agricultural lands are included in this process, and changes are often made to the Conveyance Bill at the very end of the Legislative session when no debate or public input is possible. How would you feel if your favorite public lands were lost, and you had no opportunity to provide input?

The language in the Conveyance Bill waives all other laws that may interfere with selling, trading, or giving away public lands (“Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes …”). However, the General Assembly cannot waive or ignore protections in the state constitution. Maine, Massachusetts, and New York all have constitutional protections for public lands; Connecticut should too.[2]

”

Opposition

Arguments

Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24), who voted against referring the amendment, said the measure would have unintended consequences. He added:[5]

“ Your project is going to become a political football. It’s going to seriously, seriously damage your ability to get things done.[2] ”

Campaign finance

Total campaign contributions:
Support: $0.00
Opposition: $0.00
See also: Campaign finance requirements for Connecticut ballot measures

There were no ballot measure committees registered in support of the measure or in opposition to the measure.[6]

Reporting dates

In Connecticut, ballot measure committees filed a total of five campaign finance reports in 2018. The filing dates for reports were as follows:[7]

Background

Land conveyance legislation

As of 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly had the power to pass land conveyance legislation, which allows the state to transfer or sell specified parcels of public land to other entities, such as local governments for projects or private developers.[5] The following table includes a list of state-owned properties transferred to other entities from 2011 to 2017.[8][9][10][11]

Click show to expand the land conveyance legislation table.

Referred amendments on the ballot

From 1996 through 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly referred four constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved three and rejected one of the referred amendments. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot for elections during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on even-year ballots was zero. The last amendment to appear on the ballot was in 2014. The approval rate of referred amendments at the ballot box was 75 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The rejection rate was 25 percent.

Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016
Total number Approved Percent approved Defeated Percent defeated Annual average Annual median Annual minimum Annual maximum
4 3 75.00% 1 25.00% 0.36 0 0 1

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Connecticut Constitution

To refer an amendment to the ballot in Connecticut, the state legislature must approve a proposed amendment by either (1) a supermajority vote of 75 percent during one legislative session or (2) by a simple majority vote in two successive sessions.

The constitutional amendment was introduced into the Connecticut General Assembly as Senate Joint Resolution 35 (SJR 35) during the 2018 legislative session.[12]

On May 7, 2018, the Connecticut State Senate adopted the constitutional amendment in a unanimous 35-member vote with one member absent.[12] At least 27 votes were needed to approve SJR 35.

On May 9, 2018, the Connecticut House of Representatives approved SJR 35 in a vote of 118 to 32.[12] As one seat was vacant in the state House, 113 votes were needed to refer the amendment to the ballot in 2018.

As SJR 35 was adopted in both chambers of the state legislature by more than 75 percent, the constitutional amendment was referred to the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018.

Vote in the Connecticut State Senate
May 7, 2018
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or three-fourths (75 percent) vote of all members in each chamber in one session
Number of yes votes required: 27  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total3501
Total percent97.22%0.00%2.78%
Democrat1701
Republican1800
Vote in the Connecticut House of Representatives
May 9, 2018
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or three-fourths (75 percent) vote of all members in each chamber in one session
Number of yes votes required: 113  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total118320
Total percent78.67%21.33%0.00%
Democrat55240
Republican6380

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Connecticut

Poll times

In Connecticut, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[13]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Connecticut, one must be a U.S. citizen and Connecticut resident who is at least 17 years-old and will be 18 on or before Election Day.[14]

Registration applications can be submitted online or completed via paper forms. The deadline for mail-in applications is 18 days before an election or primary, while same-day registration is available but must be completed at designated election-day registration locations in each town.[15]

Automatic registration

Connecticut automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Connecticut has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Connecticut allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Connecticut, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Connecticut does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, if you knowingly providing false information, "you can be convicted and imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to $5,000."[16]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[17] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Voter Registration Lookup, run by the Connecticut Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Connecticut requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[18] A voter who does not present a required ID may sign an affidavit with their name, address, and date of birth, and then election officials may determine that the voter is eligible to vote.[19]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Connecticut Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

First-time voters who registered by mail must present one of the following forms of identification to vote in an election with federal candidates on the ballot:

  • Copy of a current and valid photo identification with the voter’s name and address, or
  • Copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows the voter’s name and address.

Other voters must present one of the following forms of identification:

  • Any re-printed form of identification that shows the voter's name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph.
  • Social security card.

State profile

Demographic data for Connecticut
 ConnecticutU.S.
Total population:3,584,730316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):4,8423,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:77.3%73.6%
Black/African American:10.3%12.6%
Asian:4.2%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.8%3%
Hispanic/Latino:14.7%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.9%86.7%
College graduation rate:37.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$70,331$53,889
Persons below poverty level:12.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Connecticut.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Connecticut

Connecticut voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Connecticut, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[20]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Connecticut had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Connecticut coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Connecticut General Assembly, "Senate Joint Resolution 35," accessed May 8, 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Connecticut Forest & Park Association, "Protect Connecticut’s Public Lands by Supporting SJ35," accessed May 14, 2018
  4. ↑ Twitter, "League of Women Voters of Connecticut," October 23, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Connecticut Post, "Question on parkland makes November ballot," May 9, 2018
  6. ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Campaign Finance Database," accessed February 23, 2018
  7. ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "2018 Filing Calendar," accessed February 23, 2018
  8. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Senate Bill 1196," July 8, 2011
  9. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "House Bill 6672," July 12, 2013
  10. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "House Bill 5550," June 13, 2014
  11. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "House Bill 7278," July 11, 2017
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Connecticut General Assembly, "SJR 35 Overview," accessed May 8, 2018
  13. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-174," accessed July 23, 2024
  14. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Voting Eligibility," accessed July 23, 2024
  15. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 23, 2024
  16. ↑ Office of the Secretary of the State, "State of Connecticut Mail-in Voter Registration," accessed November 1, 2024
  17. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  18. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "FAQ Voter ID," accessed July 23, 2024
  19. ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "Sections 9-261," accessed November 1, 2024
  20. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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