Survey Questions and Candidate Responses

Cassandra Martineau | Participating Election

1. Automatic voter registration. Everyone, at 18, is registered. People may be given the option to opt out. 2. Voting week, rather than voting day, with access for all. 3. Greater safeguards against voting machines being rigged. Mandates for adequate polling stations according to population, rather than skin color. 4. Institute ranked-choice voting, to give voters greater liberty to vote for the candidate they want, not just the "lesser of two evils."

Bruce Walczak | Participating Election

I believe that we need to re-tool our election system. All eligible individuals should have the option of voting in person, by mail, or electronically. The goal should be to impower the most people as possible to vote.

Joe Courtney | Participating Election

Well before we were faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, I helped pass HR 1, a package of sweeping reforms to remove dark money from politics, make it easier for Americans to exercise the right to vote, end the process of partisan redistricting nationwide, and impose new, higher standards of ethics for elected officials. This legislation includes automatic voter registration, institutes nationwide early voting, and restores portions of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court. More recently, I supported legislation that has provided millions in emergency election security grant funding to Connecticut to ensure our election this November is safe, accessible, and secure for all voters. That funding is being used right now to support expanding mail in voting, ballot drop boxes in every town, and other measures to ensure that voters in this critical election do not have to sacrifice their health for their vote.

Stephen Dincher | Participating Election

Election security is a critical part of our representative republic. Electoral reforms such as Ranked Choice Voting, Multi-Member Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Voting, opening the counting of ballots to the public (no more back room counting the night of the election), issuing state voter IDs to all registered voters, should all be considered to ensure fair and accurate elections and representation.

John Larson | Participating Election

I am a cosponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which the House passed. The Act would restore the core of the Voting Rights Act that prevents racial discrmination and voter suppression. Additionally, I support mail-in voting nationwide. No one should have to choose between their right to vote and their health.

Brian Merlen | Participating Election

I believe in order to protect voting rights we need to look at the CT delegate process. I know that many questionable problems exist within the CT Democratic primaries, from Dita Bhargavas admission of rigged delegates, to my own friends telling me of shady conduct at conventions they participated in, to the party refusing to let me attend the convention this year by sending a non working link, to the improper offers my opponent made to entice me to drop out, I have seen nothing but problems. We have significant problems within CT, but they are all because of improper conduct of existing party members and incumbents. I have not seen foreign interference, I have only seen questionable conduct of my own parties members. I believe we need real oversight given these revelations of improper DCC chair conduct, and this misconduct being apparently pervasive throughout CT.

Rosa DeLauro | Participating Election

Securing our electoral process is fundamental to our democracy. Our first priority should be to prevent foreign interference, which is why I supported the SHIELD Act, which takes decisive action to deter foreign activity in our elections. We also need to replace outdated and vulnerable equipment in order to alleviate the risk of cybersecurity threats. This is why I supported the SAFE Act, which provides critical funding to states so that they can safeguard the electoral process. I have also long supported the Help America Vote Act, which provides funding to improve electoral administration.

Justin Anderson | Participating Election

The right to vote should never be hampered. Connecticut does not require a picture identification to vote, so one must wonder how the “right” to vote is in question. Partisan redistricting does not hinder a person’s right to vote, but it can change delegate results at the national level. One might state that dark money changes a person’s right to vote, it does not. However, it can allow a Hollywood personality to finance an election here in Connecticut. Sending out ballots to every person in the state does not stop a person’s right to vote, but it does raise concerns of whether every person’s vote is properly counted. Votes are lost, tossed and filled out incorrectly, which does hamper a person’s vote, and the ensuing election results. Some states have sent out the actual ballots to every single individual, whether they are requested, or not. Connecticut, at least, has had the sense to require a ‘request’ for ballot. Mass dissemination of ballots is a recipe for widespread unsavory activity. If ballots are fraudulently submitted, sent in late, or incorrectly filled out, that strips Americans of the idea of a fair and honest election. How we protect truly our right to vote, is by ensuring our votes are not tainted with dishonest results. Every vote must count, and every vote must legitimate.