Who can register to vote in Connecticut?
To register to vote in Connecticut you must:
- Be at least 17 and turning 18 on or before Election Day,
- Be a U.S. citizen living in Connecticut, and
- Have completed confinement and parole for a felony conviction.
Voter registration deadlines
The deadline to register to vote is:
Mail: postmarked 18 days before the election.
In person: 18 days before Election Day.
If you’re eligible to vote in Connecticut but have not yet registered, you can register and vote on election day at your town’s designated Election Day Registration location.
Absentee Voting Information
Connecticut law allows you to receive an absentee ballot if, in your judgment, an absence from your town on Election Day prevents you from appearing at your polling place, or you are prevented from appearing at your assigned polling place on Election Day because of sickness or physical disability (not necessarily your sickness or disability), active service in the Military, religious tenets forbid secular activity on the day of the election, duties as an election official at a polling place other than your own during all of the hours of voting. To receive your absentee ballot please complete the online Absentee Ballot application.
Rights to an Accessible Polling Place
Both federal and state law require that all voters be able to access and use their polling places. While absentee balloting is offered to voters with disabilities, it does not take the place of in-person voting for those who prefer to vote at the polls on Election Day. For more information about polling place accessibility, please see the Americans with Disabilities Act checklist for voting centers. If you have questions or concerns about the accessibility of your polling place, contact your Registrars of Voters.
What is an acceptable form of identification for to show at the polls?
Photo Identification is not required. For most voters, your identification must fit one of the following requirements for it to be accepted as a valid form of ID at the polls: name and address, or name and signature, or name and photograph.
However, for voters who are voting for the first time, and lacked proper identification when registering, some additional types of identification may be required. Contact your local registrar of voters’ office for more information on ID requirements.
What if I moved recently?
You will have to update your voter registration to reflect your new address.
If you moved to Connecticut from another state, moved to a different town within Connecticut, or even moved within the same town, your polling location may have changed.
Your voter registration should always reflect your current home address.
What if I am a student?
If you are a college student living away from home, you may choose to vote in one of two ways:
Either complete an absentee ballot for the election in your hometown or register to vote in your college town.
What if I have been convicted of a felony in the past?
A person is eligible to have their voting privileges restored upon release from incarceration in a correctional institution.
How can a homeless person be a resident of a town in CT?
Courts have said that an individual is a resident of a town if they have some nexus to that particular town, and there is an intention to return to that town when absent from it. This could be a town that you have spent time in, slept in, and intend to go back to, even if you are not presently there.