General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6670
January Session, 2013 *_____HB06670GAE___040813____*
General Assembly
Substitute Bill No. 6670
January Session, 2013
*_____HB06670GAE___040813____*
AN ACT CONCERNING ABSENTEE VOTING IN DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SERVICES OPERATED MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES, APPLICATIONS FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ASSIGNED TO MODERATORS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) The Secretary of the State and the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall jointly develop a plan to modernize the way patients in mental health facilities operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services vote. Such plan shall ensure that each such patient is provided an opportunity to vote in any primary, as defined in section 9-372 of the general statutes, or election, as defined in section 9-1 of the general statutes, for which such patient is eligible to vote pursuant to title 9 of the general statutes, in a manner that maintains such patient's right to vote in privacy.
(b) The Secretary and the commissioner shall submit such plan and any recommendations for legislation to implement such plan not later than January 1, 2014, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to elections.
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 9-140 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2013):
(a) Application for an absentee ballot shall be made to the clerk of the municipality in which the applicant is eligible to vote or has applied for such eligibility. Any person who assists another person in the completion of an application shall, in the space provided, sign the application and print or type his name, residence address and telephone number. Such signature shall be made under the penalties of false statement in absentee balloting. The municipal clerk shall not invalidate the application solely because it does not contain the name of a person who assisted the applicant in the completion of the application. The municipal clerk shall not distribute with an absentee ballot application any material which promotes the success or defeat of any candidate or referendum question. The municipal clerk shall maintain a log of all absentee ballot applications provided under this subsection, including the name and address of each person to whom applications are provided and the number of applications provided to each such person. Each absentee ballot application provided by the municipal clerk shall [be consecutively numbered and] be stamped or marked with the name of the municipality issuing the application and the municipal clerk shall assign a unique number to the person to whom the applications are provided. The application shall be signed by the applicant under the penalties of false statement in absentee balloting on (1) the form prescribed by the Secretary of the State pursuant to section 9-139a, (2) a form provided by any federal department or agency if applicable pursuant to section 9-153a, or (3) any of the special forms of application prescribed pursuant to section 9-150c, 9-153a, 9-153b, 9-153d, 9-153e, 9-153f or 9-158d, if applicable. Any such absentee ballot applicant who is unable to write may cause the application to be completed by an authorized agent who shall, in the spaces provided for the date and signature, write the date and name of the absentee ballot applicant followed by the word "by" and his own signature. If the ballot is to be mailed to the applicant, the applicant shall list the bona fide personal mailing address of the applicant in the appropriate space on the application.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Any duty or responsibility assigned to a moderator under title 9 of the general statutes shall be carried out by the moderator or the moderator's designee, if applicable.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2013 9-140(a)
Sec. 3 from passage New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
Sec. 2
October 1, 2013
9-140(a)
Sec. 3
from passage
New section
GAE Joint Favorable Subst.
GAE
Joint Favorable Subst.