| Henry Rowland | CTinsider |
On Veterans Day, Americans pause to thank the men and women who have served our country. But honoring service also carries a responsibility: making sure those who defend our democracy can fully participate in it.
Connecticut has an opportunity to meet that responsibility by adopting ranked choice voting. Gov. Ned Lamont and the newly elected General Assembly should make it a priority in the upcoming legislative session.
”Help military and overseas voters participate
Consider the situation facing a Connecticut service member stationed overseas. To make sure a ballot arrives in time, that voter submits it weeks before a presidential preference primary. The candidate they support is actively campaigning. Then, before Election Day, the candidate withdraws.
Ranked ballots already help military and overseas voters participate in runoff elections. A September 2025 report by FairVote, Veterans for All Voters and We The Veterans documents their use in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. Instead of waiting for another ballot to arrive and racing to return it, eligible voters can express their runoff preferences on their original ballot.