Alison Morris of Greenwich, a member of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, writes in a letter to the editor that the Connecticut legislature passed and the governor signed HB5001, a 2026 bill establishing no-excuse absentee voting for all Connecticut voters, and that state Sen. Ryan Fazio and state Rep. Tina Courpas voted no on it. The letter states 37 states allow the option and that a majority of Connecticut voters approved no-excuse mail-in voting in a 2024 referendum.
Letter says Connecticut enacted no-excuse absentee voting; Fazio and Courpas voted no
Alison Morris of Greenwich, a member of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, writes in a letter to the editor that the Connecticut legislature passed and the governor signed HB5001, a 2026 bill establishing no-excuse absentee voting for all Connecticut voters, and that state Sen. Ryan Fazio and state Rep. Tina Courpas voted no on it. The letter states 37 states allow the option and that a majority of Connecticut voters approved no-excuse mail-in voting in a 2024 referendum.
According to the letter, HB5001 also included criminal penalties for tampering with absentee ballot drop boxes and expanded the Attorney General's authority over election interference to protect Connecticut residents.
Morris writes that 37 states allow no-excuse absentee voting because most states recognize that not everyone can get to the polls on Election Day.
The letter urges voters to support Jill Oberlander for state senator and Amiel Goldberg for state representative in the 149th Assembly District, and to re-elect Steve Meskers in the 150th Assembly District, Hector Arzeno in the 151st Assembly District, Ned Lamont as governor and Jim Himes in the 4th Congressional District.
The letter is an opinion submission to the editor and identifies its author as a member of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee.
- The source does not state the dates on which the Connecticut legislature passed HB5001 or the governor signed it.
- The source does not state the vote tally in the legislature or the margin of the 2024 referendum.
- The source does not state what reasons Fazio or Courpas gave for voting no.
- The source does not name the governor who signed the bill, and does not state whether the bill's provisions have taken effect or when.
- The source does not state the specific criminal penalties in the bill or the scope of the expanded authority granted to the Attorney General.
- The source is a single opinion submission and does not cite legislative records or other reporting for the bill's passage, signing or contents.
Read the original at CT Examiner