Let America Vote & ECU Action Fund Applaud Governor Ned Lamont for Making it Easier to Vote

LAV/ECU President sent a letter to Lamont on April 9, encouraging him to classify COVID-19 as a permissible excuse for voting absentee in the state’s primary and general elections

Let America Vote (LAV) and End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on news that Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT) signed an executive order to allow all registered voters in Connecticut to vote absentee in the state’s August primaries:

“On the same day that President Trump unlawfully threatened two secretaries of state for making it safer and easier to vote, Governor Ned Lamont stepped up to protect voters’ access to the ballot and their health. That’s leadership. We applaud Governor Lamont for making this important first step, and we encourage him to extend the executive order to the general election.”

LAV & ECU’s SAFE Democracy Project is a 50-state grassroots effort calling on Congress to provide more election preparedness funding, implement a universal no-excuse vote-by-mail option for all 2020 elections, and add additional safeguards to guarantee safe and clean in-person voting. 

As part of the project, LAV & ECU President Tiffany Muller sent a letter to Governor Lamont on April 9, 2020 encouraging him to implement policies that protect voters’ health and access to the ballot. Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, who serves on LAV’s board of advisors, has been advocating for these reforms for months. Earlier this month, Merrill released a comprehensive plan to ensure that Connecticut’s elections are conducted in a manner that protects public health and encourages every eligible voter to participate.

Just yesterday, LAV launched a $400,000 national ad buy calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to protect Americans’ access to the ballot in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. The House has passed $3.6 billion in funding for states to provide a vote-by-mail option and safe in-person voting. Earlier this month ECU launched a separate series of digital ads, backed by a $125,000 buy. 

LAV and ECU recently merged and have been active in the effort to address the voting rights crisis borne out of the coronavirus pandemic. Both groups have been working with members of Congress to sound the alarm on Capitol Hill, and with a coalition of good government and civil and human rights groups to identify and address issues around voting.

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