Widespread support for no-excuse absentee voting among participants in a public hearing Friday foreshadowed yet another debate on voting rights among state legislators in the coming weeks of the legislative session.

Despite some detractors among the public, as well as two members of the General Administration and Elections Committee — state Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, and Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-Wolcott — the majority of people who spoke virtually during the hearing on the measures to allow no-excuse absentee voting celebrated what they say will be increased access to voting.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill testified in support of Senate Bill 184, which would extend no-excuse absentee voting through the November election, and House Bill 5262, which would revise absentee voting eligibility statutes.

Legislators have debated whether the change would be truly "no-excuse" absentee voting, since people still are required to pick a reason — such as “illness” to refer to the pandemic, even if they aren’t sick — on their application for an absentee ballot.

Nationally and statewide, the issue of absentee voting has become partisan, with many Republicans claiming it creates opportunities for voter fraud and Democrats viewing it as a necessary voting right. Far more Democrats than Republicans voted by mail in the 2020 election.

Those who testified in opposition to the legislation on Friday accused Democrats of partisan maneuvering, noted COVID-19 isn't as prevalent now and said the state should be more concerned with election security.

More than 115 people who submitted written testimony opposed Senate Bill 184, while about 110 wrote in support of the measure. A number of people who opposed the measures used the same copied and pasted statement.

“Absentee voting needs to be reserved for those who cannot physically make it to the polls due to being severely incapacitated as documented by a medical professional, or who will not be in the state of Connecticut on Election Day,” Toni Violette of Lisbon wrote in a statement identical to other opposition testimony. “These bills open absentee voting up to a wide range of interpretations that can lead to confusion and, ultimately, to ballot fraud.”

The source of where the identical statements came from was not clear.

More than 90 people submitted written testimony in support of House Bill 5262, while over 73 wrote in opposition.

Sampson and Mastrofrancesco took turns with extended questioning of Merrill. The secretary of the state defended her record as the two Republican legislators suggested auditing absentee ballots and signature verification. Merrill rejected both as largely a waste of time.

Last session, lawmakers passed legislation calling for a study of signature verification.

The two Republicans also worried the Secretary of the State’s Office again would mass-mail absentee ballot applications, as it had in 2020. There is no language in the bills to that effect.

After that lengthy questioning, Democratic state Rep. Christine Palm of Chester spoke, promising only to ask one question as dozens of people had not yet been given a chance to speak after hours of waiting. She asked Merrill how Connecticut is viewed by its peers in terms of voting rights. The secretary of the state said the state is lagging behind in voting accessibility, and secretaries of other states were surprised because of Connecticut’s “progressive” reputation.

Windsor Town Clerk Anna Posniak, who is also president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, testified in favor of the changes but noted that the state’s election workers need more backing.

Posniak said that, ironically, the pandemic was the key factor in town clerks being able to send out more than 665,000 absentee ballots in the last presidential election: “For the first time we had access to federal and private grant funds for supplies, ballots, postage and staff.”

But as the world returns to normal, she said, town clerks are facing a “dilemma.”

“An unfunded mandate would put undue pressure on our municipalities to fund the expansion of absentee ballots,” Posniak said. “The CTCA has serious concerns there will be disparities in election funding from one town to the next. Every voter deserves equal access to the ballot. All election officials need equitable funds and resources to administer elections.”

Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause Connecticut, a nonprofit that works for "open, honest and accountable government," also offered her support for the changes.

“These measures enjoy broad support from Connecticut voters across the political spectrum — 79% of voters in favor of early voting and 73% of voters in favor of absentee ballot voting,” she wrote in her testimony. “It is time for Connecticut to catch up with the rest of the nation.”

During the last session, the state House of Representatives approved a no-excuse absentee voting resolution, but could not reach the 75% threshold of votes needed to put the question on the ballot in November 2022. Since both chambers passed the measure, when the question is revisited during the next session, only a simple majority vote in the House and Senate would put the idea to Connecticut voters in a 2024 referendum.

s.spinella@theday.com