The Connecticut Citizens' Election Program handed the first election grants to qualified candidates at a press conference Tuesday that included some of the state's most prominent elected officials.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, House Majority Leader Rep. Chris Donovan, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and many other officials were on hand to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited campaign finance reform.

"We expect that we will be changing the face of the elections in CT for good and yes forever. These reforms make Connecticut a national leader in electoral reforms and in fact I believe we are a model for the rest of the nation."

So far, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, 145 candidates have opted into the program, though that number is expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks. CT News Junkie wrote:

Holding power accountable gets exhausting after awhile, doesn't it?

I was at a recent event talking about the importance of voting and how important it is to encourage others to view voting more than annual chore but as a secular sacrament.

The room was filled with the most diehard activists --  the kind that stand on town greens in any kind of weather to protest the war in Iraq and the kind groups like Common Cause depend on to push for reform. They were energetic and eager to the hit the streets in the name of democracy.

Then, something happened.

It turns out a good defense does make a pretty good offense.

The Connecticut Legislature wrapped up its 2008 session early Thursday morning. Although it was generally dubbed a "Do Nothing" session, Connecticut Common Cause was able to pass one essential bill and make sure a number of other bills aimed at either turning the clock on reform didn't head to the governor's desk.

Sure, it's easier to kill a bill than push a bill, but in the crush of the final days of session it is always possible to sneak a rat into a marginally related bill. Connecticut Common Cause checked every bill passed by the Legislature. While we chuckled at "An Act Concerning Beer Cooler Accessibility," which passed both chambers unanimously, we found nothing that would chisel away at any hard-fought reforms. 

That said, there were a number of bills that didn't make the cut this year and a few that did. For a short session where only supposedly essential are to be called, it was a good year.

The Connecticut General Assembly concludes its 2008 legislative session at midnight tonight, and for the first time in a long time, Connecticut Common Cause is playing defense as opposed to trying to shoehorn a reform at the last minute (in 2006, a critical campaign finance reform bill passed in the last two minutes.)

Bills that we were pushing for have either passed and been enacted into law, been tied down on the calendar with no hope of salvation or caught in internecine feuds between the House and Senate.

Now, we have to make sure that the so-called "Do Nothing Session" does nothing to turn back the clock on important reforms.

So far, attempts by proponents of Voter Photo ID to spark a debate have been stymied by a lack of opportunities. The state Senate has one bill on the calendar that could be called for a debate but hasn't for several days. Other election related bills have been relegated to the foot of the calendar, which is the legislative word for Limbo.  There was some scuttlebutt that the opponents of Voter Photo ID, pining to fight a good fight, might call an election bill, but it never happened. There's a lot of bills on the calendar and not a lot of time left. This is one time the clock is working in our favor. Keep the e-mails coming. Let's keep the pressure on until the Voter Photo ID threat is gone.

There's only three days left in the 2008 legislative session.  Proponents of Voter Photo ID could float their amendment on any of those days, depending on whether or not the Senate or the House calls an elections bill.

In the Connecticut General Assembly as opposed to Congress, for those following from out-of-state, in order for an amendment to be called and debated, it must be germane to the underlying bill. There are a few elections bill left on the calendar, but who knows when, let alone if, they might be called. All the more reason to keep the e-mails coming.

I did a little research on the whole subject of voter fraud in Connecticut. It exists, but it is apparent that Voter Photo ID would do little to prevent it from occurring.

The Hartford Courant ran a story on a state ethics bill that would allow legislators to use staff attorneys should they ever become involved in an ethics complaint.

Connecticut Common Cause weighed in, and as you might expect, we don't like it.

It's not that I don't think there's a place for staff attorneys to assist state and elected officials in ethical matters. Clearly, there is, especially when it comes to ethics compliance.

The Connecticut State Senate unanimously approved the 17-year-old primary voting rights bill. The expected Voter Photo ID amendment and debate never materialized.

With the exception of a mini debate on an amendment that would put to state voters a proposal for referenda, the talk regarding the primary voting rights bill was friendly.

Stronger words came outside the chamber immediately after the vote. Senate Minority Leader John McKinney said proponents of Voter Photo ID didn't raise the amendment on the primary voting rights bill because they supported the underlying legislation. He promised a debate on Voter Photo ID before the session ended.