As Americans, our vote is our voice. It is at the very core of our democracy, and I believe strongly in codifying any legal means that allow all voices to be heard. That is why I want No Excuse Absentee Voting (NEAV) as a choice for myself and for my fellow Connecticut voters.
There are those who disagree. Dominic Rapini’s opposing view was published in the CT Mirror on October 11. Rapini believes we need a safeguard against illegal ballot handling before NEAV can become a reality. He cited a number of absentee voter fraud cases that all resulted in indictments, some convictions and some acquittals.
One of the cases occurred in Bridgeport. As a Bridgeport resident who loves her city, this case resonates deeply with me. I’m terribly sad that there are bad actors here, but relieved to know that we already have a safeguard to bring them to trial. Article VI, Sec. 7 of our State Constitution is very clear that it is a class D felony “for any person not authorized by law to possess the official absentee ballot of an applicant to whom it was issued.” With this safeguard in place, I believe the benefits of NEAV far outweigh these isolated instances of abuse.
Most states agree. Connecticut is one of only 14 that do not provide for NEAV on a permanent basis, though we were among the great majority of states that offered it during the Covid pandemic. As a result, in 2020, citizens voted by absentee ballot in record numbers. Despite allegations that this voting option opens a door to voter fraud, a statement from the Department of Homeland Security – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) held that “The November 3rd election [2020] was the most secure in American history . . . .” The judicial decisions in over 60 voter fraud cases following the 2020 election validated this statement.
Having lost in the courts, some of our states have considered no less than 291 bad faith voting restrictions, many of which have been instituted. No Excuse Absentee Voting stands in stark contrast to this egregious backlash. These regulations are designed specifically to erect impediments to voting; NEAV seeks to make it easier for more voters to participate in the democratic process. Passing NEAV is, in itself, a safeguard against voter disenfranchisement, not its cause. This makes it right for our state.
To offer NEAV in Connecticut requires a Constitutional amendment, which in turn requires a referendum vote. Our brand new early voting option (which began October 21) is due to this process of direct representative government. Before the referendum passed, Connecticut was one of only four states that still did not offer early voting. It took until the last election cycle for our state to catch up with the vast number of its brethren and reduce that number to three.
We have caught up with early voting states, but Rapini asserts that since we now have early voting, it’s not critical that we pass NEAV. The difference between two voting methods is that a NEAV vote may be submitted by mail – a difference so significant that eight states and the District of Columbia vote by mail exclusively. Mail-in voting reduces the possibility that anyone will fraudulently handle your vote, and allows even home-bound voters easy access to the virtual “voting booth.”
Though I’m not much of a math student, what I draw from all of this is that the national and local trend is toward more voting options, not fewer. I believe that’s a really good thing for our democracy.
So, let’s march in lockstep with most of the nation! Let’s vote yes on No Excuse Absentee Voting this November 5.
Deborah Howland-Murray lives in Bridgeport.