How To Vote In Connecticut 2020

COVID-19 Voting Update: All eligible voters can now vote absentee and will automatically receive absentee ballot applications for the 2020 General Election. Applications will be mailed in mid-September. Applicants concerned about COVID-19 should check the COVID-19 box on their application.
[updated September 4, 2020]

♪ (patriotic music) ♪

Hey Connecticut!

If you want to vote,

first, you’ve gotta be registered
--there’s a link in the description

where you can check
your registration status right now.

If you aren’t registered,

or you’ve moved or changed your name
since the last time you voted,

you can register online as long as
you have a Connecticut driver’s license

or state ID.

If you don’t have a Connecticut license

—maybe you don’t drive or you’re
a college student from another state--

you have to fill out a form
and mail it in,

which I get it, is super annoying,
but it’s important, so do it anyway.

The links to both the online
and mail-in forms will be in the description,

and you need to submit
your form by October 27th

to vote in November.

If you’ve missed
the registration deadline, don’t panic,

you can still register
on the day of the election

at locations all throughout the state,
starting at 6 am.

The full list of election day
registration locations is linked below,

but plan to get there early,

because after you register
you’ll still have to go

to a different location to vote
at your actual polling place.

So you’re registered. Great.

Now you get to vote.

In most cases, you’re gonna be voting
at the polls on November 3rd

in Connecticut.

Unless you’ll be out of state
on election day,

or have an illness, disability,

or religious belief that
doesn’t allow you to get to the polls.

If any of those situations
do apply to you, there’s a link below

where you can apply
for an absentee ballot.

As long as you get your application in
by October 3rd, they’ll mail you a ballot,

and all you have to do is fill it out
at your own pace and mail it back

so that it arrives
no later than November 3rd.

And for the rest of you,
you’ll need to head to the polls

between 6 am and 8 pm on November 3rd.

You can look-up where to go to vote
using the link in the description.

If this is your first time voting
you’ll need to bring a photo ID

with your name and current address,
or a recent utility bill, bank statement,

or paycheck with your name
and the current address printed on it.

If you’ve voted in Connecticut before,

you can either bring
one of those forms of ID,

or just sign a statement at the polls
saying that you are who you say you are.

If you have any questions about
whether you have the right kind of ID,

don’t be afraid to ask.

Remember, the poll workers
are there to help you vote.

If you want to see everything that’s going
to be on the ballot ahead of time,

there’s a link below where
you can find your sample ballot.

This gives you a chance to research
the candidates for your local elections

ahead of time.

You don’t have to vote for every item
on the ballot for it to count,

but those tiny local elections
are actually pretty important,

so it’s worth doing a little research
ahead of time.

If you want, you can print one out
or screenshot it

and bring it to the polls with you
so you can remember how you want to vote.

One last thing: if you’re gonna vote

—take a second right now
to open up your notes app

or grab a piece of paper and make a plan.

Write down when and how
you’re going to register,

what time you’re gonna vote,
how you’re gonna get there,

what ID you’re gonna use,

even who you’re gonna bring
to the polls with you.

Having a plan is a great way to make sure

that nothing unexpected
stops you from voting on November 3rd.

All the links you need to check
your registration and polling location

will be in the description.

Thanks for voting.

How To Vote in Every State
is produced by Complexly

in partnership with
The MediaWise Voter Project,

which is led by The Poynter Institute
and supported by Facebook