Legislation

Recognizing Juneteenth as a legal holiday would make it clear that Connecticut is not eliding its troubled history with slavery.

We are all affected by voter suppression, because democracy is debased when the vote is not accessible for everyone.

As an organization committed to the liberties guaranteed by our Constitution, the ACLU-CT fully supports a fair voting system to uphold the foundational cornerstone of our democracy: the right to vote.

The ACLU-CT believes that all people, including people living with criminal records and incarcerated people, are entitled to the opportunity to access employment and dignity in the workplace.

Voting is the linchpin right in a representative democracy: it is through this right that all others are protected and secured.

In the U.S., serving on a jury is a basic function of citizenship. By excluding people with certain records from jury service, Connecticut is also denying criminal defendants their constitutional right to a jury of their peers drawn from a fair cross-section of the community.

Youth activists have highlighted numerous benefits to lowering the voting age to 16, including making voting a habit before a person undergoes major life changes at age 18, many of which, like moving out or starting college, pose barriers to voting.

Our support for full decriminalization is strengthened by the racist history of enforcement of cannabis offenses in Connecticut.

Black Connecticut residents were three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than whites,6 despite similar rates of cannabis use to white residents.