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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 156
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 3887
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E SECRETARY OF THE S TATE AND
ABSENTEE VOTING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-140 of the general 1
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective July 1, 2019): 3
(a) (1) [Application] Except as provided in subsection (b) of this 4
section, application for an absentee ballot shall be made to the clerk of 5
the municipality in which the applicant is eligible to vote or has 6
applied for such eligibility. Any person who assists another person in 7
the completion of an application shall, in the space provided, sign the 8
application and print or type his name, residence address and 9
telephone number. Such signature shall be made under the penalties of 10
false statement in absentee balloting. The municipal clerk shall not 11
invalidate the application solely because it does not contain the name 12
of a person who assisted the applicant in the completion of the 13
application. The municipal clerk shall not distribute with an absentee 14
ballot application any material which promotes the success or defeat of 15
any candidate or referendum question. The municipal clerk shall 16 Committee Bill No. 156
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maintain a log of all absentee ballot applications provided under this 17
subsection, including the name and address of each person to whom 18
applications are provided and the number of applications provided to 19
each such person. Each absentee ballot application provided by the 20
municipal clerk shall be consecutively numbered and be stamped or 21
marked with the name of the municipality issuing the application. The 22
application shall be signed by the applicant under the penalties of false 23
statement in absentee balloting on [(1)] (A) the form prescribed by the 24
Secretary of the State pursuant to section 9-139a, [(2)] (B) a form 25
provided by any federal department or agency if applicable pursuant 26
to section 9-153a, or [(3)] (C) any of the special forms of application 27
prescribed pursuant to section 9-150c, 9-153a, 9-153b, 9-153d, 9-153e, 9-28
153f or 9-158d, if applicable. Any such absentee ballot applicant who is 29
unable to write may cause the application to be completed by an 30
authorized agent who shall, in the spaces provided for the date and 31
signature, write the date and name of the absentee ballot applicant 32
followed by the word "by" and his own signature. If the ballot is to be 33
mailed to the applicant, the applicant shall list the bona fide personal 34
mailing address of the applicant in the appropriate space on the 35
application. 36
[(b)] (2) A municipal clerk may transmit an application to a person 37
under this subsection by facsimile machine or other electronic means, 38
if so requested by the applicant. If a municipal clerk has a facsimile 39
machine or other electronic means, an applicant may return a 40
completed application to the clerk by such a machine or device, 41
provided the applicant shall also mail the original of the completed 42
application to the clerk, either separately or with the absentee ballot 43
that is issued to the applicant. If the clerk does not receive such 44
original application by the close of the polls on the day of the election, 45
primary or referendum, the absentee ballot shall not be counted. 46
(b) On and after July 1, 2019: 47
(1) Application for an absentee ballot may be made to the Secretary 48
of the State through an online system established and maintained by 49 Committee Bill No. 156
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the Secretary for such purpose, provided an applicant's signature is in 50
a database described in subsection (b) of section 9-19k and such 51
signature may be imported into such online system. 52
(2) In order for an application for an absentee ballot to be submitted 53
through the online system described in subdivision (1) of this 54
subsection, the applicant's signature shall be obtained from a database 55
described in subsection (b) of section 9-19k and the applicant shall, on 56
an online form prescribed by the Secretary, (A) type his or her name, 57
(B) indicate the municipality in which such applicant is eligible to vote 58
or has applied for such eligibility, and (C) mark a box associated with 59
the following statement: 60
"By clicking on the box below, I swear or affirm all of the following 61
under penalty of false statement in absentee balloting: 62
1. I am the person whose name is provided on this form, and I 63
desire to apply for an absentee ballot. 64
2. I am eligible to vote in the municipality provided on this form or 65
have applied for such eligibility. 66
3. I authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles or other 67
Connecticut state agency to transmit to the Connecticut Secretary of 68
the State my signature that is on file with such agency and understand 69
that such signature will be used by the Secretary on this online 70
application for an absentee ballot as if I had signed this form 71
personally." 72
(3) Upon receipt of any submitted application for an absentee ballot 73
through the online system described in subdivision (1) of this 74
subsection, the Secretary shall transmit such application to the clerk of 75
the municipality indicated therein. 76
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Committee Bill No. 156
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Section 1 July 1, 2019 9-140(a) and (b)
GAE Joint Favorable