Connecticut Green Party Press Release
For immediate release: Friday, May 30, 2003
Contacts:
Tom Sevigny, Co-chair, (860) 693-8344
Mike DeRosa, Co-chair, (860) 956-8170 or (860) 919-4042
Justine McCabe, Co-chair, (860) 354-1822
Michael Burns, Vernon, CT (860) 871-7459
Penny Teal, Mystic, CT (860) 536-4980
Election Day Registration and Extended Voter Registration (HB 6370) passed out of the Appropriations Committee today with a strong bipartisan vote of 32/4.
The bill, which has already passed out of two other committees, the Government, Administration and Elections (GAE) and Planning and Development (P&D), will now head to the House. Attached and below are the key points about the bill:
AAC Election Day Registration and Extended Voter Registration
Status: Voted with bipartisan support out of GAE, P&D and Appropriations Committees
Provisions:
Allows eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day at the Registrar's Office.
Allows eligible citizens to register up to seven days before the election.
Funding:
This month Connecticut received $5 million through HAVA (The Help America Vote Act) earmarked for education, training and administration of elections.
Protecting Election Integrity:
The new federal law, HAVA, mandates an on-time centralized voter registration system which can monitor for fraud or duplication.
HB 6370 includes stringent identification for those who register to vote during this new timeperiod and on Election Day. The applicant must provide ID to the registrar with name, address and a photo when registering to vote. If the person does not have a photo, the registrar's office will take one to be held until verification of the elector's information.
"These types of measures, designed to increase participation, are extremely encouraging signs. While Washington DC political consultants are paid big bucks to strategize about how to drive voting numbers down, Connecticut has the opportunity to tell our citizens that we stand for something different," said Michael Burns, Greater Tolland County Green Party.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://ctgreenparty.org/press-releases.html
A Better Way Foundation - www.abwf-ct.org
Connecticut Green Party
P.O. Box 231214, Hartford, CT 06123
(860) 524-9448 - www.ctgreenparty.org
Green Party of the United States www.gp.org