Exploring Options for Voting in Elections and Primaries
Governor Lamont established a working group and tasked them with reviewing options and developing a comprehensive legislative proposal that could be presented to the Connecticut General Assembly to create a system of ranked-choice voting in Connecticut. Such a system would enable municipalities and political parties with the option of using ranked-choice voting in caucuses, conventions, primaries, and certain municipal elections.
Current state law does not enable the use of ranked-choice voting in any primaries or elections.
This working group consists of members representing various political affiliations. They have been asked to develop a final report of recommendations that could be presented to the legislature in time for consideration during the 2025 regular legislative session.
“Ranked-choice voting has been used with success in other states throughout the U.S. for many years, and there is a growing consensus in Connecticut that enacting this system here will benefit our voters. I want this multipartisan working group to review how those systems operate, ascertain best practices, and collaboratively determine the best way that it can be implemented in Connecticut so that our municipalities and political parties have this option available to them.”
— Governor Lamont
Resources and Documents
Co-Chair: State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague)
Co-Chair: State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield)
Vice Chair: Monte Frank (Attorney at Pullman & Comley, past present of the Connecticut Bar Association, and 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor under the Griebel-Frank for CT Party)
Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz or designee
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas or designee
State Representative Aundré Bumgardner (D-Groton, Stonington)
State Representative Hilda Santiago (D-Meriden)
Annalisa Stravato (Republican registrar of voters for the Town of Wilton, executive vice president of the Registrar of Voters Association of Connecticut, and former vice chair of the Connecticut Republican Party)
Alexander Russell (Director of the UConn Center for Voting Technology Research)
Dan Rosenthal (Former Democratic first selectman for the Town of Newtown)
Lindsay Farrell (Senior political strategist for the national Working Families Party)
Ann Reed (Vice president of advocacy for the League of Women Voters of Connecticut)
Patricia Spruance (Town clerk for the Town of Windham and president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association)
Cheri Quickmire (Executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut)
11:00 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building (Room 1B)
Documents
10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1C
Documents
- Presentation from Deb Otis, FairVote
- Study on demographic disparities using ranked-choice voting
- Presentation from Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center: RCV Ballot Design
- Center for Civic Design: Best practices designing ranked choice voting ballots
- Sample Ballot: 2021 River Heights, Utah, municipal election
- Sample Ballot: 2022 New York City, New York, municipal primary
- Sample Ballot: 2022 Portland, Maine, municipal election
- Sample Ballot: 2024 Maine Democratic presidential primary
- Sample Ballot: 2024 Maine Republican presidential primary
- Sample Ballot: 2024 Multnomah County election
10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1B
Documents
10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1B
Documents
10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1A
3:30 p.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1A
Documents
10:30 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1A
Documents
10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1B
Testimony
- Alden Okoh-Aduako - supports
- Alex Brandorff - supports
- Amanda Crociata - supports
- Ann Marlowe - supports
- Anne B. Sadlon - opposes
- Art Linares - supports
- Astrea Finch - supports
- Baird Welch-Collins - supports
- Barry Rahmy - supports
- Ben Proto, Connecticut Republican Party - opposes
- Brenda Hamilton - opposes
- Brigette Sorensen - opposes
- Caleb Kleppner - supports
- Carol Waxman - supports
- Chase Trahan - supports
- Chip Beckett - supports
- Colin Hosten - supports
- Common Cause Connecticut - supports
- Connecticut League of Conservation Voters - supports
- Danielle Chesebrough, First Selectman of Stonington - supports
- David Klein - supports
- Deb Otis, FairVote Action - supports
- Domenic DeLuca - supports
- Dominic Rapini - opposes
- Donald Weigt - supports
- Donna Meier - opposes
- Edward W. Munster - opposes
- Elizabeth Litt - supports
- Ethan Rodriguez-Torrent - supports
- Franci Knight - supports
- Gary A. Bergquist
- Hugh Birdsall - supports
- Henry Rowland, Veterans for All Voters - supports
- Janet Harlow - opposes
- Jenn Searls - supports
- Jennifer Rodney - supports
- Jill Coppola - opposes
- Jill Grieveson - supports
- John L. Williams - supports
- John Zachos - opposes
- Joshua Broekstra - supports
- Jonathan Perloe, Voter Choice Connecticut - supports
- Joseph Bentivegna - opposes
- Joshua Steele Kelly - supports
- Judithann Toohey - opposes
- John Warburg - supports
- KP McIntosh - opposes
- Laura Del Savio - supports
- Lisa Napolitano - opposes
- Lon Seidman - supports
- Lynne Bonnett - supports
- Luther Weeks
- League of Women Voters of Connecticut - supports
- Mary E. Beeman - opposes
- Maryfrances Metrick - supports
- Melinda Fields - supports
- Marcia Fitzgibbons - supports
- Michael Garman - supports
- Mary Hogue - supports
- Michele Buzzi - opposes
- Michael Argento - opposes
- Michael Trusiewicz - supports
- Mike Santangelo - opposes
- Mike Tamborrino - opposes
- Melinda Tuhus - supports
- Nancy Ellman - supports
- Nathan Lockwood, Rank the Vote - supports
- Nazih Noujaim - opposes
- Paul A. Garlinghouse - supports
- Peter Wrampe - opposes
- Phil Franco - opposes
- Philip S. Augur - opposes
- RepresentUs - supports
- Richard Bass - supports
- Richard Walser - supports
- Rita Burke - supports
- RJ Price - opposes
- Roger Senserrich, Connecticut Working Families Party
- Ronald M. Petronella, UFCW Local 371 - supports
- Sarah Ganong, Connecticut Working Families Party - opposes
- Susan and Fran McNulty - opposes
- Susan K. Alksnis - supports
- Suzanne Solensky - supports
- Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc. - supports
- Unite America - supports
- Vanessa DeBarge - supports
- William Jacobsen - supports
- William Kirschner - supports
- William Taylor - supports
- Yankee Institute of Connecticut - opposes
- Yann van Heurck - supports