The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on May 6 after passing five election-related bills. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed all five bills in May and June.

Among those bills was HB 5001, which removes the requirement that voters meet one of five criteria to request an absentee ballot, such as being on active military service, being absent from their city or town, or having an illness or physical disability. HB 5001 made Connecticut the 29th state to offer no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting.

Additionally, the bill allows voters to request to automatically receive absentee ballot applications for each election. The bill also establishes a cure process for voters who fail to sign the statement on their absentee ballot return envelope. Previously, Connecticut was one of 17 states that did not have a cure period, in which voters must be notified and allowed to correct issues with their absentee/mail-in ballots.

Other provisions in the bill prohibit law enforcement from being within 250 feet of election sites and require local election officials to notify the state attorney general and secretary of state if they receive a subpoena or warrant for election-related materials.

In 2024, voters approved a constitutional amendment 58%-42% that removed excuse requirements for absentee voting from the state constitution and authorized legislators to enact no-excuse absentee voting.

The state House passed the final version of the Democratic-sponsored bill 101-49 along party lines on April 23. The state Senate approved the bill 25-11 along party lines on May 6.

Other election bills enacted in 2026 include:

• HB 5352, which creates an exemption to the requirement that the State Elections Enforcement Commission must dismiss a complaint if it does not issue a final decision within one year of receiving it. The exemption applies to complaints received on or after Oct. 1, 2026, regarding potential violations of state election law.
• SB 298, which includes a number of election-related provisions, including changes to the handling and tabulation of early voting ballots and a requirement that the secretary of state maintain a log of rejected absentee ballots.
• SB 393, which requires a governor to issue a writ for a special election between seven and 17 days after the death of a U.S. senator, representative, or state legislator, and at least seven days after the death of a probate judge.
• SB 477, which requires a presidential elector to pledge that they will vote for their party’s presidential nominee and requires that they be replaced if they do not do so.

Legislators enacted four election-related bills in 2025, four in 2024, and 11 in 2023. Lawmakers introduced 37 election bills in 2026, compared with 118 in 2025.