CONNECTICUT, USA — Editor's note: Video above originally aired November 14 and is not directly related to the subject of the article.
Democrat State Representative Stephenie Thomas has announced she will be running for the office of Secretary of the State in 2022.
Thomas represents Norwalk, Wilton and Westport. She is also the vice-chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
The current Secretary of the State, Denise Merrill, is not seeking reelection.
“For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about civic engagement,” Thomas told supporters at the launch in Norwalk. “Voting is the underpinning of our democracy, and it breaks my heart when I hear people say that they don’t plan to vote or that voting doesn’t matter.” Rep. Thomas went on to say, “Apathy often wins more elections than our political parties and I believe it is time for that to change. I am very excited to be here with all of you this morning to announce the launch of my campaign for Secretary of the State of Connecticut.”
Thomas is the only Democrat that has filed candidate committee paperwork at this time.
“Although the position has become synonymous with voting rights and elections, the Secretary of the State’s office is responsible for so much more. I will fight for every Connecticut resident, with transparency, advocacy, and integrity,” Thomas said. “I have made a career out of problem-solving and finding solutions that work and I will bring that same proactive attention to the position of Secretary of the State to champion transparency in government, streamlined business processes, and to strengthen trust in our elections.”
In 2019, Thomas was elected to represent Norwalk, Wilton and Westport, flipping the representative seat from Republican to Democrat by doing so.
While in office, she has sponsored and helped pass a variety of voter-focused bills like automatic voter registration at state agencies and no-excuse absentee ballot voting.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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