While socialist bills are coming out of Hartford, a phone call from a voter registrar – who wishes to remain anonymous – made me think about countries like Venezuela.
The state of Connecticut’s elections will be much like Venezuela’s if what this insider revealed comes to pass.
There was a 3-day conference of the Registrars of Voters and Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas and her team were at 2 out of 3 days. Thomas wants to advance one of three bad bills that made it out of committee initially: either SB1057, SB1064, or HB5004.
Thomas also had “her team there,” our source said, “and a team member started talking about what early voting likely would be.” Early voting, apparently, is being launched not with 3 or 5 days, but 17 days. Let me say that again, 17 days. This includes 15 days of early voting, plus a day of preparation time, plus the Election Day itself.
Early voting, as desired, entails 2 full weekends, 2 days of 8 am – 8 pm, all other days 10 am – 6 pm.
Worse, it INCLUDES referendums; and NO holidays or worship days are recognized. With referendums, if the vote is “no” then more work is on the slate for the poll workers and registrars.
Registrars of voters would have very onerous demands, including but not limited to the following:
- accepting very low pay for a full time, 2-week job.
- Being forced to quit their other full-time job(s) for 2 weeks.
- Forced to ignore holidays and days of worship
- Being forced to find childcare and any other obligations during the 17 days, especially if schools are CLOSED for all early voting days.
Matt Blumenthal, co-chair of the GAE committee (but was not at the conference), commented on the registrar workload, “Well, the Monday before [Election Day] would be a day of rest.”
Blumenthal utterly failed to take into account that Election Day must still be set up, meaning Monday would be the busiest day: poll workers are not allowed to access a school location until after 3:30 pm.
What possible bills are being considered, as Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas wants to advance at least one of them?
First up is SB1057, AN ACT CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE AND EARLY VOTING.
To (1) establish early voting beginning in 2023 for certain elections and beginning in 2024 for certain primaries,
- establish the number of days and hours of, and implement procedures for the conduct of, such early voting,
- provide for same-day election and same-day primary registrations during periods of early voting,
- make conforming changes to deadlines for the performance of certain duties prior to an election or primary, and
- require the Secretary of the State to undertake efforts to educate the public about early voting and train registrars of voters regarding the administration of early voting.
Second possibility is SB1064, identical to SB1057 with the exception below – AN ACT CONCERNING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EARLY VOTING.
To (1) establish early voting beginning in 2023 for certain elections and beginning in 2024 for certain primaries, special elections and referenda.
Finally, bill HB5004, AN ACT IMPLEMENTING EARLY VOTING – this is identical to SB1064 in the summary.
Please understand our registrars—many of whom are already aging out—will have more than the above listed placed on them. Consider these excerpts from HB5004:
The registrars of voters may apply to the Secretary of the State not later than [sixty] days before election day or primary day, in a form and manner prescribed by the Secretary, to designate any additional location for the completion and processing of [election day] or same-day primary registration applications. [on election day.] The Secretary shall approve or disapprove such application not later than [forty-five] days before election day or primary day.
If the Secretary approves such application, the registrars of voters may so designate any such additional location. The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply to any such additional location.”
Consider a 2nd excerpt and note how dangerous this new section is, all emphasis added:
“If the registrars of voters determine that the applicant is not already an elector, the registrars of voters shall admit the applicant as an elector and the privileges of an elector shall attach immediately. Subject to the provisions of section 9-59, if the registrars of voters determine that the applicant is not already enrolled in a political party, the registrars of voters shall enroll the applicant in the political party holding a primary of such applicant’s preference and the privileges of party enrollment shall attach immediately.” Matt Blumenthal has noted in writing, HB5004 “ought to pass”.
Things got so heated during this ROV conference that one elderly woman registrar reportedly stood up and shouted, “I quit!!” More will certainly quit if we do not make noise, call, mail and email our officials.
Please contact at least the chairs of the GAE committee, along with Stephanie Thomas, to let them know – we the people will NOT submit to the state’s ridiculous demands that will jeopardize not only election integrity, but our poor registrars’ livelihoods, our culture, and the good of society.
GAE Co-chair: Matt Blumenthal: Matt.Blumenthal@cga.ct.gov, 860-240-8585
GAE Co-chair: Mae Flexer – aide Isabella: isabella.langlois@cga.ct.gov 860-240-8634
Rob Sampson: rob.sampson@cga.ct.gov
Gale Mastrofrancesco: Gail.Mastrofrancesco@cga.ct.gov
Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas: 860-509-6200
Deputy Secretary of State Jacqueline Kozin: 860-509-6212
“To the [secretary of state, GAE chair, etc], I am DEEPLY concerned about inside news from the 3 day conference for our Registrars of Voters. The secretary of state and the GAE committee are making expensive, impractical, even impossible demands that 1) threaten the financial and mental well-being of our registrars of voters, 2) exhaust our poll workers, and 3) strain Connecticut families even more.
Disrupting people’s lives so severely for 15 days of early voting not only will NOT work; it will cost our state tax dollars and tax payers both. Please do not advance SB1057, HB5004, nor SB1064. To recap, even paying registrars and poll workers extra money will only cost taxpayers, furthering the out-migration spiral that is accelerating. Sincerely,
[Your name, city or town]