{"id":5058906,"date":"2022-10-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5058906"},"modified":"2022-10-28T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T08:00:00","slug":"democracy-in-ctln-voter-access-across-new-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2022\/10\/28\/democracy-in-ctln-voter-access-across-new-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Democracy in CTLN: Voter Access Across New England\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hispanic and Latino Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last midterm elections, with about 34.5 million Hispanics and Latinos eligible to vote in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the turnout for Hispanic and Latino voters nationwide has increased over the past decade, they still fall behind other groups<\/a>. Hispanic and Latino voters face a variety of barriers, but efforts to limit voter access are increasing across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democracy doesn\u2019t properly work when people and communities are prevented from participating within local, state, or national elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding voting access across the country ensures that communities are accurately and justly represented by its elected officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocating for and increasing voting access includes expanding early voting, online voter registration, and same-day voter registration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Connecticut<\/strong>, there is currently no form of early voting and fairly restrictive absentee voting laws, according to Staff Attorney Aida Carini of the CT Secretary of State Office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Question 1 on the ballot this fall would expand voting access across the state<\/a>, allowing early voting as soon as 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis allows us to begin establishing some framework for early voting and opening the availability of absentee voting to many of those that would otherwise be unable to\u2026vote,\u201d said Carini during Vote Local Day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carini discussed the ballot question in a conversation featuring NH Secretary of State David Scanlan and MO Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon; view the full discussion here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, non-traditional voting \u2014 all types of non-election day voting including vote-by-mail and absentee voting \u2014 accounted for about 69.4% of the vote, according to Deliver My Vote Executive Director Amanda Pohl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVote-by-mail programs and any early-voting program does provide greater access to the ballot and that supports the basic foundation of our democracy,\u201d Pohl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had the highest turnout election in modern history [in 2020],\u201d she added. \u201cWe had more people of color [and] young people voting\u2026and more people accessing the ballot who otherwise,\u201d would have not be able to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofit leaders at the Vote Local Day discussion on Vote By Mail & Voter ID\u2019s emphasized that the rate of vote-by-mail has increased over the years. They also spoke on how early-voting, vote-by-mail, and absentee ballots have led to greater and more diverse participation throughout the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose accessible programs do increase access to voting for disenfranchised communities, especially, and we have some research that we released in February that also shows that young voters and especially voters of color are more likely to vote if they\u2019re given vote-by-mail options,\u201d Pohl said in the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although data has found that expanding voter access results in higher participation rates among communities, officials across the U.S. are working to backtrack some of these laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as those things happened, we immediately saw states starting to clamp down on voting methodologies\u2026We\u2019re also seeing backlash from legislatures that don\u2019t want to see that increased participation,\u201d Pohl said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since May, almost 400 restrictive bills have been introduced in legislatures across the nation. Some restrictions deny assistance to voters with limited English proficiency, according to the Brennan Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the past 18 months, there has been a wave of anti-voter bills introduced and passed across the country, many of them designed to undermine the growing political power of Latinos and other communities of color,\u201d wrote the Brennan Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research by the Brennan Center<\/a> would support the idea that the ongoing increase in voter restrictions are strongly motivated\/influenced by \u201cracial backlash\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRacial Backlash\u201d is a theory that \u201cdescribes how white Americans respond to a perceived erosion of power and status by undermining the political opportunities of minorities,\u201d according to the Brennan Center.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important Reminders <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registration: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CT residents can register by mail, in person, or online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn about the different registration types at<\/strong>: https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/SOTS\/Election-Services\/Voter-Information\/Voter-Registration-Information<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure if you\u2019re registered? Check your registration status<\/strong> at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/portaldir.ct.gov\/sots\/LookUp.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail voter registration <\/strong>must be postmarked by Nov. 1<\/strong> to be eligible. English and Spanish registration forms are available here: https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/SOTS\/Election-Services\/Register-to-Vote\/Voter-Registration-Application-English-and-Spanish<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online registration<\/strong> ends Nov. 1<\/strong> by 11:59 p.m. EST. Register here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/voterregistration.ct.gov\/OLVR\/welcome.do<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn about Election Day registration<\/strong> and if you\u2019re eligible: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/SOTS\/Election-Services\/Election-Day-Registration\/Election-Day-Registration<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Voting<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early voting is not currently available in Connecticut; however, that may soon change due to Question 1 on this year\u2019s ballot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll to \u201c<\/em>In Connecticut<\/em><\/strong>\u201d below for more information. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Submitting an Absentee Ballot: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CT has strict laws on who can cast an absentee ballot; these restrictions were expanded in 2020 due to the COVID-19<\/a> but remain limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the CT\u2019s official state website<\/a>, those eligible include people who cannot vote in person because of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n