by Mia Palazzo CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — A coalition of elected officials, advocates, and national experts gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to urge passage of House Bill 7229, a proposal aimed at streamlining the absentee voting process for incarcerated individuals who retain the right to vote.
The measure, which is currently on the House calendar, would require the Secretary of the State to provide specially numbered absentee ballot application forms to the Department of Correction (DOC), allowing them to be distributed in prisons. It also mandates that town clerks process absentee ballot applications from incarcerated voters.
The bill addresses a complex patchwork of rules that determine voting eligibility for those involved in the criminal justice system in Connecticut
“Only convicted felons lose the right to vote in Connecticut, and it is only during their period of incarceration,” said Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. “Upon release, they immediately gain back their voting right, unless it’s a felony conviction related to an election crime.”
But logistical challenges still create barriers to voting for those who are eligible, Thomas said. She detailed the process currently required for an incarcerated voter to obtain and return an absentee ballot — a process that relies on postal speed, access to information, and the ability to navigate a system without internet or outside assistance.
“This small change would help save at least five to seven days of mail time, hopefully reduce confusion and make the process more fair and accessible,” Thomas said. “I don’t know anyone who believes that someone’s ability to vote should depend on how much money they have or the speed of the postal system.”
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, who serves as co-chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, emphasized the human cost of the current system.
“You shouldn’t need a lawyer to figure out whether you can vote if you’ve had involvement with the criminal justice system,” Blumenthal said. “The right to vote is … the right on which all other rights depend. If we have thousands of people who have that right and are not able to exercise it because of things and processes that we do as a state, that’s a problem.”
According to Thomas, nearly 4,200 people held in Connecticut’s jails as of February were individuals who have not been convicted of a crime and who therefore had not lost their voting rights. Thomas said many of those who face year-long waits for trial are effectively disenfranchised due to the system’s complexity.
Kyle Giddings, deputy director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition speaking about Colorado’s passed legislation for voting laws for incarcerated people at a news conference on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Mia Palazzo / CTNewsJunkie
Kyle Giddings, deputy director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, shared his experience with Colorado’s Senate Bill 72. That bill mandated in-person voting access in every jail statewide.
According to Giddings, in 2022 only 231 incarcerated Coloradans were able to vote. By 2024, that number grew to 2,600.
“I guarantee you, it’s no different here in Connecticut,” Giddings said. “Individuals want to participate in their community, and individuals want to have their voices heard when it comes to what’s on the ballot.”
Data from Avery Gilbert, executive director of the Yale Law School Civil Rights Advocacy Clinic, underscored the connection between incarceration and low voter turnout with data from the 2022 election turnout rates.
Avery Gilbert, executive director of the Yale Law School Civil Rights Advocacy Clinic shares data on voting laws for incarcerated people at a news conference on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Mia Palazzo / CTNewsJunkie
“The state’s poorest cities, at the highest incarceration rate, also have the lowest participation rate. So Hartford’s high poverty rate of 37% … voter turnout in 2022 was 28%.” Gilbert said. “Bridgeport poverty rate was 23%, voter turnout there was 31% and then the voter turnout statewide was 58% with a statewide poverty rate of 10%”
Alex Knopp, a former Democratic state representative from Norwalk former mayor of the city, acknowledged the work of advocates like James Jeter, founder of the Full Citizens Coalition to Unlock the Vote, calling him the “spark plug” behind much of the progress on the issue.
Thomas said HB 7229 would not be a panacea, but said it was the least the state could do to chip away at the problem.
“I’m hopeful that it will help alleviate the burden that prisoners face, for the short term, while other measures are considered,” she said.