We must invest in our election systems
Election malfeasance claims rocked Connecticut when footage appeared on social media that allegedly shows a city employee illegally placing absentee ballots in a drop box. I was shocked by what I saw, and I expected to be flooded with calls about how we could all work together to balance election security with the value that absentee ballots provide for seniors, college students, people living with disabilities and their caregivers, parents of young children and a host of others.
Instead, what happened next underscored a reality I have faced since taking office in January: We’re all at risk when we don’t invest in our election system. From civics to infrastructure, funding is one of the best antidotes to protect voters from falling prey to election impropriety and misinformation, to ensure a secure process, and fight apathy.
As if to make this point for me, when the video surfaced, confusion came from many corners over process and government function. Many assumed the Office of the Secretary of the State had the power to investigate the allegations, appoint an election monitor, decertify election results and order a new election. We do not. These are decisions delegated by law to the State Elections Enforcement Commission and the courts, but few understand how the system works.
Next, I thought the outrage would focus on another critical part of the problem; we rely on candidates running for office and political parties to serve as the primary forces informing voters about everything from election dates to the electoral process. Instead, fingers started pointing in a display of partisan politics at its worst, and headlines butchered the meaning behind my press conference statement about an “undereducated electorate.” Anyone who has ever heard me speak knows that I wasn’t referring to Bridgeport specifically. The undereducated electorate I was referencing is all of us. There is only a half-credit of civic education taught in schools and little help provided after high school graduation to help us navigate our most fundamental right as Americans.
Investment across the board is sorely needed. Registrars know this. Town clerks know this. Homeland Security knows this. Voters know this. Yet, in Connecticut, the Secretary of the State’s office is allocated zero dollars through June 2025 for public information. That’s zero dollars to educate the public about how to protect themselves from bad actors and keep their ballots safe. Zero dollars to remind voters about key election dates and deadlines, or to explain the recently adopted early voting program that will roll out in April.
I look forward to working with the legislature on ideas that only they have the power to implement. Our collective outrage can be harnessed for good to once and for all provide ongoing investment in our election systems before the democratic process suffers.
Zero funding for voter education is not what the phrase “free and fair elections” means. Freedom isn’t free, and our representative democracy gets the elections we pay for. Voters deserve better, and Connecticut can do better.