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To the Editor:

I’m writing to urge West Hartford voters to support the upcoming ballot initiative to amend the Connecticut Constitution and allow early voting in our state. At present only Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Connecticut prohibit early voting.

Many studies demonstrate that early voting expands opportunities for citizens to participate in elections. Regardless of political affiliation, expanding opportunities for people to vote is a central part of a well-functioning democratic system. For example, early voting can help people with childcare responsibilities, people who have trouble getting to the polls on election day, elderly or disabled residents who encounter transportation challenges, and commuters who leave before the polls open and return home after they close. Another potential benefit is that early voting can reduce the long lines we sometimes encounter on election day.

As a political scientist, I always encourage my students to vote. Let’s make the process easier for all Connecticut residents and join other states in the nation with an early voting option.

For more information on early voting, see http://www.earlyvotingct.org/.

Stefanie Chambers, PhD
Stefanie Chambers is a professor of political science and chair of the department at Trinity College in Hartford