Early voting is a win for democracy

For families like the one I grew up in, early voting would have enabled my parents the chance to cast their ballot ahead of time and avoid the balancing act of tending to children, household chores, their children and participating in their democracy.

What I remember most from my parents’ experience voting when I was a young man is the chaos. Rushing out the door with two kids, hustling us into the car, trying to decide what to do for dinner, waiting in line to vote, grabbing the “I voted today” stickers, hustling home to get dinner going and starting our bedtime routine. I am exhausted just thinking about this happening just to cast a vote.

Like many families, we struggled to find enough time in the day to get it all done. Squeezing time in to go vote on a Tuesday in November was no small feat for a working-class family with little free time and a mountain of responsibilities. That is why I was proud to vote for the passage of early voting in the Senate, providing people in Connecticut 14 days prior to Election Day to vote.

This is crucially important to bolstering democracy in our state as unfortunately we are living in a time when democracy is under attack both at home and abroad. With this vote to make early voting a reality in Connecticut, we are making a statement that we are committed to moving forward, not regressing as some states have chosen to do. Additionally in Connecticut both in public opinion polls and at the ballot box, the people overwhelmingly support early voting. This is not only the right thing to do, but also what Connecticut voters want.

Early voting makes it easier for people to let their voices be heard, regardless of the obligations life throws at them. For families like the one I grew up in, early voting would have enabled my parents the chance to cast their ballot ahead of time and avoid the balancing act of tending to children, household chores, their children and participating in their democracy. Another great aspect of early voting is it allows us to increase citizen participation in our democracy and create more opportunity for our busy fellow citizens. Democracy functions best when it is fair, and providing every registered voter, regardless of their daily tasks, a real opportunity to vote will bring about the most accurate representation of what voters want.

We must never forget democracy is fragile, but I am reminded of the classic Winston Churchill quote, “Many forms of Government have been tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or allwise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all the others…" As we have seen across the country, where Republican-led states passed laws to make voting harder, less accessible and have used The Big Lie to weaken their democracies in an effort to quiet the voices of voters who disagree with them, it is imperative we are not lax in protecting our democracy.

My parents love this country, they love the opportunities it afforded our family. What’s more, they appreciate the privilege of having a say in who makes the laws that govern the state and country where they reside. Many people across our state share the same story and same willingness to participate in elections. With early voting, we’ve made sure those families will be able to vote conveniently on their time.

H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media A voter at a polling location in Bethel earlier this year.