#newhaven

Dear Friend of New Haven Votes,

I wanted to remind you that, as we mentioned in our previous newsletter, THIS THURSDAY, JULY 2 at 6pm there will be a public hearing at the New Haven Board of Alders on the issue of redistricting errors that have affected more than 700 voters in New Haven, and what is being done to address them. The City Services and Environmental Policy Committee (CSEP) will hear testimony from the public about their questions and concerns, as well as hearing from the Registrars' office. 

Here (and below) is the official notice of the meeting.

We strongly urge you to testify in person or in writing to [email protected]. You can also send questions to us, and we will make sure they get shared with the CSEP Committee. 

Also I wanted to share with you this article about the 20th anniversary of the New Haven Democracy Fund which was celebrated last week. The Democracy Fund remains the only municipal public financing program in Connecticut and a testament to New Haven's commitment to civic innovation and clean elections. Mazel tov to them!

That's all for now. Thanks for your attention and support, and please stay tuned for an email in the next few weeks about upcoming voter registration opportunities.

New Haven Votes Coalition 

newhavenvotes.org

Dear Friend of New Haven Votes,

I just wanted to provide you with a few updates, including the passage this week of important election reforms by the Connecticut General Assembly, that I hope you will consider sharing with your networks and constituents:

* Universally-Available (No-Excuse) Absentee Ballot Legislation Passes CT General Assembly!

On the final day of the legislative session, the CT Senate passed legislation that lifts the last barriers to universally available or "no-excuse" absentee voting in Connecticut, successfully culminating a long advocacy journey to bring Connecticut into line with other states around the availability of early voting and absentee ballots. The absentee ballot legislation (HB 5001, no Public Act No. 26-42) was one of our top priorities for this legislative session -- thanks to everyone who testified on behalf of this long-overdue reform. Once it is signed, the legislation will make absentee ballots universally accessible (no excuse required), which voters had authorized the legislature to implement in a constitutional amendment back in 2024. 

Please note: completing an absentee ballot application will still be required for a voter to receive an absentee ballot (though no "excuse" is required), unless a voter is approved to be on the permanent absentee ballot list. The absentee ballot application will be re-designed to reflect these changes. We know there may be some public confusion about whether the AB application is still required, so please let us know if you are hearing specific questions or areas of confusion from voters! As always, we want to know what voters are concerned or confused about as changes to election laws are implemented.

Read more about the legislation here.

* Party Switch Deadline for August Primary is May 11 Voters who are switching parties (i.e. changing their registration from one party to another) and who wish to vote in the Tuesday, August 11, 2026 primary, must complete their party switch by May 11. (Please note this does not apply to unaffiliated voters.)

Party registration changes can be done by simply filling out the standard Connecticut voter registration form and checking the party registration box. Please encourage your friends, neighbors and constituents to double-check their party registration before May 11 if they plan to vote in the August primary!

* Candidate Forum for the 92nd State Rep District For voters in the 92nd State Representative District, there will be a Democratic candidate forum happening on Friday, May 8 at 6:30pm at Southern Connecticut State University, sponsored by SCSU Democrats. All the Democratic candidates running in the primary are expected to be in attendance.

If you know of other candidate forums taking place in the 92nd (or anywhere else), please let us know so that we can share!

* Connecticut Citizens' Assembly on Property Tax Reform

Last week the CT State Comptroller made an exciting announcement about the formation of a Connecticut Citizens' Assembly to examine the issue of property tax reform in the State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Citizens' Assembly is a collaborative effort between the Comptroller and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), Yale Institute for Social and Policy Studies (Yale ISPS), and UConn Political Science, bringing together partners committed to strengthening democratic problem-solving in the state of Connecticut. We hope everyone will take time to learn more about the Assembly, its goals and theoretical underpinnings -- and if you were one of the residents randomly selected to receive an invitation to participate in the Assembly, we hope you will accept the invitation to move forward and complete the application process. Please encourage your networks and constituents to learn more about the CT Citizens' Assembly as well!

Deliberative democracy and citizens' assemblies can be a powerful tool for enhancing civic engagement and restoring trust in the democratic system, and we're excited to see to see such a prominent and practical application of these tools here in Connecticut.  

______________________________

Well, I think that's it for now. Thanks for your support and advocacy, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Aaron G.

Coordinator, New Haven Votes Coalition

newhavenvotes.org

not the best but i tried ...