By Kathy Kennedy
State Rep., R-119
Kathy Kennedy
With less than 100 days until election day, are you ready to get out and vote?
In a high stakes presidential election year, it is important to know what’s on your ballot and the new changes to Connecticut’s election process. As your state representative, I encourage all of my constituents in Milford and Orange to exercise their right to vote and to find information on their ballots, early voting, absentee applications and more.
This year’s ballot has candidates running for the positions of president, US senator, US representative, state senator and state representative. In addition to candidates, ballots across the state will also include a referendum question asking voters if they believe Connecticut should implement no-excuse absentee voting, which I look forward to diving into in my next column.
Connecticut’s election process has drastically changed with the recent implementation of early voting. This new, expanded voting process now allows registered voters to cast their ballot in person up to two weeks before election day. If you are unable to vote on Nov. 5 and do not have a qualifying reason to vote by absentee ballot, you are eligible to vote early from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 and 31). For complete information on your polling location, visit myvote.ct.gov.
If you are unable to make it to your polling location on election day due to illness, active service in the military or because you may be absent from your hometown, I highly recommend requesting an absentee ballot application to cast your vote. Absentee ballot voting is also great for local students who attend higher education institutions out of state where students can request absentee ballots to be mailed right to their campus. For additional questions on absentee ballots, go here.
When President John F. Kennedy proposed, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but you can do for your country,” he challenged us to be active participants in our political process. As a fellow Kennedy, I agree and believe that the best way to actively participate, share our voice and hold our government accountable is by voting every election.
Remember: every vote counts. Before I began my time as your state representative, I once believed that our longstanding political patterns and geographically small state limited our role in making a positive impact on government. Now in my third term, I am grateful to be a product of what it means to value every single vote, every voice and every idea.
I encourage you to take a moment this fall to research the candidates, open yourself to new ideas and embrace a dynamic opportunity to form the best version of government for all our friends and neighbors.
Please consider reaching out at any time with questions about voting or our election process by emailing me at Kathy.Kennedy@housegop.ct.gov or by calling me at 860-240-8700. As we approach election day, stay updated on important information by subscribing to my email newsletter at RepKennedy.com.