Connecticut Dems demand IDs to recycle cans but reject GOP efforts to verify citizenship at polls
Voters cast their ballots during early voting at the Board of Elections Loop Super Site in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 4, 2024.KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Posted For: Layla Godey
Connecticut Democrats have passed a new anti-fraud measure aimed at the state’s bottle redemption system, requiring identification from people who cash in large numbers of recyclable containers. Critics say the law raises questions about the party’s stance on voter identification.
The legislation, Senate Bill 299, was introduced earlier this month by Democratic leaders in the Connecticut General Assembly. Lawmakers moved the bill through the legislature on an emergency basis, approving it in both chambers in late February. Democratic Governor Ned Lamont signed the measure into law on March 3.
Under the new rule, anyone redeeming more than 1,000 cans or bottles in a single day must provide a copy of their driver’s license at the redemption center. State officials said the requirement was designed to address a growing problem involving people from neighboring states crossing into Connecticut to collect the higher deposit refund offered there. Connecticut pays 10 cents per container, compared with the five-cent refund common in nearby states. Authorities say the practice has been costing the state substantial revenue.
The identification requirement stands in contrast to Connecticut’s voting rules. Voters in the state are not required to show a driver’s license or other formal identification when casting a ballot. Instead, individuals must sign an attestation affirming, under penalty of law, that they are citizens of the United States.
The difference has drawn criticism from Republicans and election-integrity advocates, especially as Congress debates stricter voting requirements. Earlier this week, both of Connecticut’s U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, voted against advancing the SAVE Act. The legislation, backed by Republicans, would establish tougher photo-identification rules for federal elections and require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Anna Pingel, campaign director for secure elections at the America First Policy Institute, argued that Connecticut’s new recycling rule highlights a contradiction.
“In Connecticut, it appears there is more urgency about protecting the recycling system than protecting elections,” Pingel said. “Requiring photo identification to receive money for bottles while opposing identification for voting raises serious questions about priorities.”
Fox News Digital contacted Blumenthal, Murphy, and Lamont seeking comment. Only Blumenthal responded.
Blumenthal said the SAVE Act would create new barriers to voting by requiring documents many Americans do not possess. “The SAVE America Act requires a birth certificate or passport to register to vote, which Republicans know 21 million Americans do not have,” he said. “This is not a voter identification bill. It is a voter purge bill.”
The Senate voted 51–48 earlier this week to open debate on the House-passed SAVE Act vehicle, S. 1383. Both Blumenthal and Murphy voted against moving the bill forward. The House approved the legislation on Feb. 11 by a vote of 218–213, but it still faces a 60-vote threshold in the Senate to advance toward final passage, a hurdle Democrats say they intend to block.
During floor speeches addressing concerns about non-citizen voting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia acknowledged the issue while arguing that it is extremely rare.
Schumer told colleagues that available evidence shows “almost no illegal aliens vote.” Warnock cited statistics from Georgia, noting that out of roughly 8.2 million registered voters, the state’s Republican secretary of state identified 20 non-citizens who had registered, and only nine had attempted to cast ballots.
Democrats have strongly opposed the SAVE Act, arguing that its requirements could make voting more difficult for people who lack immediate access to documents proving citizenship.
Republicans contend that stronger safeguards are necessary to prevent non-citizens from appearing on voter rolls and say current identification standards are too loose.
The dispute has led to an extended standoff in the Senate, with lawmakers continuing debate and holding sessions through the weekend as negotiations over the bill continue.
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