RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS FOR CONVICTED FELONS
Convicted felons who are on either parole or probation have the right to vote in Connecticut. In June of 2021, the Connecticut state legislature passed Public Act No. 21-2 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2021/sum/pdf/2021SUM00002-R03SB-01202-SUM.pdf, which restored voting rights to people with felony convictions who have been released from prison and placed on parole status.
Those serving probation–the term used to describe offenders who were convicted of an offense but did not serve any prison time–were guaranteed the right to vote in 2002 with the passage of Public Act No. 01-11: An Act Restoring Voting Rights of Convicted Felons Who Are on Probation (www.cga.ct.gov/2001/fc/2001HB-05042-R000031-FC.htm).
For further information, see the Issue Brief “Voting Rights After Felony Conviction,” posted on the website of the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2021/rpt/pdf/2021-R-0188.pdf
Voting Rights PSA from the Connecticut Secretary of State
Being incarcerated does not necessarily prohibit you from exercising your RIGHT TO VOTE!
You can register to vote in Connecticut if you:
**are a United States citizen
**are a resident of a Connecticut town
**are at least 18 years old (or you are 17 and turn 18 on or before election day)
**have completed confinement and parole if you were previously convicted of a felony.
• If you are confined for a misdemeanor offense only, you ARE ELIGIBLE to register and vote, using your home town address, and an absentee ballot.
• If you are being held in pretrial detention and have NOT been CONVICTED of a felony, you ARE ELIGIBLE to vote using an absentee ballot.
You lose your voting rights in Connecticut if you are convicted of a felony and committed to the custody of the Department of Correction on or before Election Day.
• If you request an absentee ballot and are later convicted of a felony, you may NOT vote, even if you received a ballot in the mail. If you fill out a ballot AFTER conviction, you will be prosecuted for voter fraud.
TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT’S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:
Search by program name:
Registrar of Voters
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SOURCES: Connecticut General Assembly website; Connecticut Secretary of the State website
PREPARED BY: 211/mb
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: August2023