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UK's Starmer says Europe is at 'crossroads in history' as leaders agree to steps to Ukraine peace; Scranton mayor puts bipartisan infrastructure law funding to work: L.A.'s urban trees remove more C02 than expected; and teachers' union guides colleges on response to ICE inquiries.

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Speaker Johnson calls out Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, while also calling Putin "dangerous." Voting rights advocates are concerned about the SAVE Act's impact on Civil Rights, and some Democrats call for prioritizing rural and working-class people.

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U.S. farmers are left twisting in the wind over farm projects the federal funding freeze has stalled, parks and public lands could be a mess for visiting tourists this summer, while money to fight rural wildfires is in jeopardy.

CT Voters to Decide if Lawmakers Can Consider New Ballot Options

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Monday, September 8, 2014   

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut voters face a question when they head to the polls this November – it's a constitutional amendment to allow state lawmakers to consider new ways for voters to cast ballots.

State Rep. Ed Jutila says Connecticut is currently one of only 14 states in the nation that limits voting to Election Day.

He says the Constitution also limits absentee balloting.

"Individuals either need to be out of town, sick, disabled,” he points out. “Or the tenets of their religion prohibit them from coming out to vote on that day. So, that's what we're faced with."

The amendment question gives voters the opportunity to amend the Constitution to remove restrictions on absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without appearing at a polling place on the day of an election.

Gloria Bent, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, says voters should understand the only change they would actually be making is that they would be freeing up state lawmakers to consider alternative ballot methods.

"All that does is allows us to have a conversation about some new ways of looking at how voters participate in the process,” she explains. “It does not automatically mean that we are going to any of those other options."

Jutila says many other states allow mail-in ballots or early voting.

In conversations with fellow lawmakers, he found support for no-excuse absentee ballots because of the high volume of commuters in the state.

"Maybe they commute to New York every day and are never sure exactly what time they are going to get home,” he points out. “If we go with no-excuse absentee ballots for instance, they could cast that ballot well ahead of time and be assured that their votes can be counted."

There is more at the League website. Look for Ballot Question.





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