Secretary Thomas Testifies in Support of Bills to Protect Ballot Secrecy and Safeguard Voter Data

[Boynton, Cindy CWB]

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
February 24, 2026 

Secretary Thomas Testifies in Support of Bills  

to Protect Ballot Secrecy and Safeguard Voter Data 

 

(Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas testified Monday before the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee in support of Raised S.B. 224 and Raised S.B. 226, proposals designed to protect ballot secrecy, strengthen early voting procedures, and safeguard voter data. 

 

Both before the Committee and in written testimony submitted in advance of the hearing, Secretary Thomas stressed that protecting ballot secrecy and voters’ private information does not conflict with election transparency.  

 

“Connecticut can protect transparency and protect voters at the same time,” she said. “The public has every right to know election outcomes and how elections are administered. But voters should not have to worry that their individual ballot could be inspected, or that their personal data could be used to harass them, scam them, or exploit them.” 

 

Raised S.B. 224: Protecting the Secret Ballot 

S.B. 224 clarifies that ballots cast in elections, primaries, and referendums — including write-in ballots — are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, but preserves transparency and accountability through mechanisms such as recanvasses, audits, investigations, and court review.  

 

“The secrecy of the ballot is foundational to both voter confidence and to keeping elections free from intimidation and coercion,” Secretary Thomas said. “There are many other ways to audit and verify elections, from tabulator testing records and reconciliation logs to post-election audits, SEEC investigations, and court-supervised reviews.” 

 

Raised S.B. 226: Practical Improvements and Privacy Protections 

Secretary Thomas explained that S.B. 226 makes targeted improvements based on local experience and national best practices, including: 

• Allowing early voting ballots to be deposited directly into tabulators to reduce handling 
• Clarifying procedures for early voting and same-day registration to ensure continuity among all of Connecticut’s 169 towns 
• Protecting voter privacy by limiting public voter file birth date information to the year of birth only 
• Restricting voter registration data from being used for harassment or commercial exploitation. 

 

“These changes safeguard personal information without limiting lawful oversight,” Secretary Thomas said. “All of the proposals are based on best practices designed to strengthen our procedures, clarify a process, or close gaps before those gaps become problems." 

 

The first to speak at Monday’s public hearing, Secretary Thomas’ full testimony can be watched on the GAE Committee’s YouTube page. Her complete written testimony is available on the General Assembly website.   

Cindy Wolfe Boynton

Director of Communications

Office of the Connecticut Secretary of the State

860.306.7190

Cindy....@ct.gov