Intro to Testimony
Thank you Chairpersons Slossberg and Morin, and members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, for this opportunity testify in support of H.B. 5024. My name is Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director in the Democracy Program at Demos. We are a non-partisan public policy center that works with policy makers, elections officials, and advocates in pursuit of a vibrant democracy with high levels of voting and civic engagement. Achieving this level of inclusivity requires reducing barriers that prevent all eligible citizens from exercising their right to vote.
I applaud Governor Dan Malloy, Secretary of State Denise Merrill, and members of this committee for championing H.B. 5024 and Same Day Registration (SDR) – a proven reform that can substantially increase voter turnout among eligible voters without compromising the integrity of elections or substantially increasing costs. By enacting H.B. 5024, Connecticut would become the 10th state to permit eligible citizens to both register and vote on Election Day and/or during the early voting period. The District of Columbia has also enacted Same Day Registration. I will primarily address Section 1 of H.B. 5024, the portion of the legislation that pertains to Same Day Registration. I also offer support for the online voter registration provisions provided for in Section 11 of the bill.
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