Sen. Sampson: Democrats Distract from Election Integrity While Opposing Voter ID

Hartford — State Sen. Rob Sampson (R-16) issued the following statement today in response to a press conference held by Sen. Mae Flexer and Rep. Matt Blumenthal regarding election legislation before the Connecticut Government Administration and Elections Committee.

“Today’s press conference appears to be another attempt by Connecticut Democrats to distract voters with outlandish claims rather than address the real concerns people have about the integrity of our elections.

Democratic leaders continue to suggest that voters are being intimidated or frightened away from the polls. I am not aware of any credible cases of voter intimidation occurring in Connecticut, and I certainly reject the implication that the President of the United States or ordinary voters are somehow threatening our elections.

The reality is that voters in Connecticut have been asking for stronger election integrity protections for years.

Across the country, photo identification requirements are a normal and widely accepted safeguard that helps ensure confidence in the election process. The federal SAVE Act, which Democrats are currently attacking, essentially requires proof of citizenship and photo identification to vote. These are commonsense protections that most Americans support and that I have repeatedly proposed here in Connecticut.

Year after year, however, Connecticut Democrats in both chambers have voted down voter identification proposals on strict party-line votes. Despite overwhelming public support for these safeguards, they refuse to even consider them.

Instead, Republican proposals to strengthen election integrity such as signature verification requirements, stronger penalties for election fraud, and other security measures are routinely ignored.

I support policies that responsibly expand voter access. Access and integrity should go hand in hand. Unfortunately, Connecticut Democrats appear interested in only one side of that equation.

Even more concerning, some of the legislation Democrats are advancing would actually eliminate safeguards that allow voters to have confidence in the system.

For example, Democrats have proposed legislation that would prohibit federal immigration enforcement officers from operating within 250 feet of a polling place. That proposal raises an obvious question. If, as Democrats frequently claim, illegal aliens never vote in our elections, why would such a restriction even be necessary?

Instead of engaging in honest discussions about election integrity, Democratic leaders continue to resort to blaming former President Trump and accusing Republicans of voter suppression.

Connecticut voters deserve better than political theater.

They deserve an election system that is secure, transparent, and worthy of their trust. That means protecting access to the ballot while also implementing the safeguards necessary to ensure every legal vote counts and that the public can have confidence in the outcome.”