How to Vote in Connecticut’s 2024 Elections

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• State primary: Tuesday, Aug. 13
• General election: Tuesday, Nov. 5

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• Voter registration: Use the state’s voter portal to check your registration status.
  
  
• Absentee voting: Only certain voters can request an absentee ballot, including those who cannot appear at their assigned polling place on Election Day due to absence, sickness, physical disability or another approved reason. 
  
  
• Early in-person voting: Any registered voter may cast their ballot early during the early voting period, Aug. 5 through Aug. 11.
  
  
• Voting at the polls: Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. You won’t need to show an ID unless you’re a first-time voter.
  

Laws passed in 2023 may affect how you cast your ballot in the 2024 elections:

• Connecticut now offers early in-person voting. Voters will have four days of early voting for the presidential primary, seven days for the state primary and 14 days for the general election.

• Voters in the November general election will decide on a constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee balloting.

Register online, by mail or in person.

• Online: New voters who want to register for the primary, and unaffiliated voters who wish to enroll in a party before the primary, may use the state’s online voter registration system by Friday, July 26. You must have a current and valid driver’s license, learner’s permit or nondriver photo ID issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles and a signature on file with the DMV.
  
  
• By mail: Print out a voter registration form, complete it and mail it to your registrar of voters.  For new voters, mailed applications must be postmarked by Friday, July 26 to vote in the primary. If you’re an unaffiliated voter and want to enroll with a party to vote in the primary, your mailed application must be received (not just postmarked) by July 26. 

• In person: Visit your registrar of voters, town clerk or the Department of Motor Vehicles by noon Monday, Aug. 12, to register for the primary (or to enroll with a party if you’re an unaffiliated voter). You may also register at public libraries and social service agencies. You’ll need to show a copy of a current valid photo ID. New voters who wish to vote during early voting may register in person until noon the day before they plan to cast their ballots. 
  

Check your registration status through the state’s voter portal.

Same-day registration is not available on Election Day or during early voting for primary elections.

Only voters who are registered with a party may vote in that party’s primary.

If you’re affiliated with a party and want to switch parties to vote in the primary, the deadline to do so is Monday, May 13.

If you’re an unaffiliated voter, the last day to enroll in a party is Monday, Aug. 12, at noon.

Absentee ballots are only available to voters who cannot appear at their assigned polling place on Election Day for an approved reason. These include sickness, physical disability or duties as an elected official at a polling place other than your own. In 2022, Connecticut expanded eligibility to include caregivers of someone with an illness or disability, people out of town for part of Election Day and people (or their caregivers) concerned about a condition that could be aggravated by exposure to a disease, such as COVID-19.

If you have a permanent disability, you may apply for a permanent absentee ballot with a letter from your health care provider. Check with your town clerk for details.


Apply for an absentee ballot:

• By mail: Download and complete the application for an absentee ballot. Return the completed application to your town clerk. You can also contact your town clerk and ask that an application be mailed to you.
  
  
• Online: Go to the state’s absentee ballot portal to request a ballot from your phone, tablet or computer.
  
  
• By fax: Fax the completed application if your town clerk has a fax machine. But you must also mail the original application to the clerk, either separately or with your completed absentee ballot.
  
  
• In person: Visit your town clerk. You can apply through close of business the day before Election Day, which is Monday, Aug. 12, for the primary.

There is no deadline for applying by mail, fax or online, although election officials encourage you to apply as early as possible to ensure your ballot arrives in time. If it’s close to the election, you should request a ballot in person from your town clerk.

In the event of an unforeseen illness or physical disability within six days of the polls closing, you can submit an emergency application for an absentee ballot.

Information about absentee ballots for military and overseas voters is available on the secretary of state's website.

Return your ballot by mail, via drop box or in person.

• By mail: Mail your completed ballot to your town clerk. Your ballot must be received (not just postmarked) by 8 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, Aug. 13 for the primary). 
  
  
• Via drop box: Deposit your completed ballot in your local drop box before 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 13, for the primary. Find your local drop box via the state’s voter portal.
  
  
• In person: Hand-deliver your completed ballot to your town clerk by the close of business on Monday, Aug. 12 for the primary. An immediate family member (or your designee if you are ill or have a disability) may deliver your ballot for you through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Log in to the state’s voter portal to check the status of your ballot.

For the primary, you may cast your ballots early in person from Monday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., including weekends. Extended voting hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., will be offered on Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Thursday, Aug. 8. Find locations on the secretary of the state’s website when they become available, or check with your registrar of voters.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Use the state’s voter portal to find your assigned polling place. If you’re in line by 8 p.m. you’ll be allowed to vote.

A driver’s license or photo ID is not required to vote in Connecticut, unless you’re a first-time voter. You will be asked to show identification at the polls, but you may instead sign an affidavit attesting to your identity.

If you’re a first-time voter, you may need to show a photo ID, such as a current and valid driver’s license, or a non-photo identification such as a current utility bill or bank statement that shows your name and address.

If you have a permanent disability, you can apply to your town clerk to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election.

An accessible ballot marking device is available at every polling place and early voting and same-day registration locations. If you need assistance casting your ballot, either in person or via absentee ballot, you may choose someone to help you, as long as that person is not your employer, union representative or their agent, or a candidate whose name appears on the ballot. A candidate may only provide assistance if the voter is an immediate family member.

Find more information about accessible voting, including assistance for people living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, on the secretary of state’s website.

Key races:

• U.S. President
• U.S. House: All 5 districts
• U.S. Senate: 1 seat
• State House: All 151 seats
• State Senate: All 36 seats

Find sample ballots on the secretary of state’s website when they’re available.


Editor’s note:  This guide was originally published on Jan. 2, 2024. It has been updated with new information about voting in the 2024 elections.

Natalie Missakian covers federal and state policy and writes AARP’s Fighting for You Every Day blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Haven Register and daily newspapers in Ohio. She has also written for the AARP Bulletin, the Hartford Business Journal and other publications.

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