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Voting in Connecticut

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Connecticut:

Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.

For information on elections happening this year, click here.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

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.[1]

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.[2]


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing 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.[3]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Connecticut requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[4] 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.[5]

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.

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Connecticut permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Governor Ned Lamont (D) signed Public Act 23-5 into law on June 7, 2023. The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2023, implemented in-person early voting for elections occurring after January 1, 2024.[6] The length of the early voting period varies based on the type of election. Fourteen days of early voting are required for general elections, seven days are required for most primaries, and four days are required for special elections and presidential preference primaries. Each municipality was required to establish at least one early voting location.[7]

In 2022, Connecticut voters approved a legislatively referred constitutional amendment allowing the Connecticut General Assembly to pass laws providing for in-person early voting.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.


Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

Connecticut voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on election day for one of the following reasons:[8]

  • Active military service
  • Absence from town of residence during voting hours
  • Illness or physical disability, or role as a caregiver to another individual with illness or disability
  • Religious beliefs precluding secular activity on election day
  • Performance of duties as an election official at a different polling place during voting hours

To request an absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter may complete and sign an application and return it to their town clerk, or complete an online application. Voters requesting an absentee/mail-in ballot within six days of an election must complete an emergency application.[8]

An absentee ballot must be returned either in person by close of business the day before the election or by mail. If returned by mail, the ballot must be received by close of polls on election day.[8]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

In Connecticut, people convicted of a felony in a federal or out-of-state court regain their voting rights upon completion of confinement, parole, and the payment of all fines. People convicted of a felony and confined in a Connecticut facility regain voting rights after the completion of confinement and parole, except for those who have violated Connecticut's Election Statutes, who must be discharged from probation before their voting rights are restored.[9]

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[10]


Election administration agencies

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Connecticut can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Connecticut Town Clerks

Click here for a list

Secretary of the State

Physical Address: 165 Capitol Avenue, Suite 1000
Hartford, CT 06106
Mailing address: PO Box 150470
Hartford, CT 06115-0470
Phone: 860-509-6100
Fax: 860-509-6127
Email: lead@ct.gov
Website: http://www.sots.ct.gov/

Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission

55 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone: 860-256-2940
Fax: 860-256-2981
Email: SEEC@ct.gov
Website: https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
Website: https://www.eac.gov


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See also

Elections in Connecticut


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Voting Eligibility," accessed July 23, 2024
  2. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 23, 2024
  3. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-174," accessed July 23, 2024
  4. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "FAQ Voter ID," accessed July 23, 2024
  5. ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "Sections 9-261," accessed November 1, 2024
  6. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Public Act No. 23-5," June 7, 2023
  7. ↑ State of Connecticut, "Governor Lamont Signs Legislation Establishing Early Voting in Connecticut Elections and Primaries," June 7, 2023
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed July 23, 2024
  9. ↑ Ct.gov, "The Ultimate Freedom: The Right to Vote," accessed July 23, 2024
  10. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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