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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 268
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 6247
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING AU DITING OF ELECTION DAY
REGISTRATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 9-19j of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2
(a) As used in this subsection and subsections (b) to (i), inclusive, of 3
this section, "election day" means the day on which a regular election, 4
as defined in section 9-1, is held. 5
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, a person who (1) 6
is (A) not an elector, or (B) an elector registered in a municipality who 7
wishes to change his or her registration to another municipality 8
pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of this 9
section, and (2) meets the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) 10
of section 9-12, may apply for admission as an elector on election day 11
pursuant to the provisions of subsections (a) to (i), inclusive, of this 12
section. 13
(c) (1) The registrars of voters shall designate a location for the 14
completion and processing of election day registration applications on 15
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election day, provided the registrars of voters have access to the state-16
wide centralized voter registration system from such location. 17
(2) The registrars of voters [may] shall appoint one or more election 18
officials, including official checkers, to serve at such location and may 19
delegate to such election officials any of the responsibilities assigned to 20
the registrars of voters. The registrars of voters shall supervise such 21
election officials and train such election officials to be election day 22
registration election officials. Nothing in this subdivision shall be 23
construed to prohibit any unofficial checker or challenger from being 24
present at such location. 25
(d) Any person applying to register on election day under the 26
provisions of subsections (a) to (i), inclusive, of this section shall make 27
application in accordance with the provisions of section 9-20, provided 28
(1) on election day, the applicant shall appear in person at the location 29
designated by the registrars of voters for election day registration, (2) 30
an applicant who is a student enrolled at an institution of higher 31
education may submit a current photo identification card issued by 32
[said] such institution in lieu of the identification required by section 9-33
20, [and] (3) the applicant shall declare under oath that the applicant 34
has not previously voted in the election, and (4) the applicant shall be 35
administered the elector's oath individually. If the information that the 36
applicant is required to provide under section 9-20 and subsections (a) 37
to (i), inclusive, of this section does not include proof of the applicant's 38
residential address, the applicant shall also submit identification that 39
shows the applicant's bona fide residence address, including, but not 40
limited to, a learner's permit issued under section 14-36 or a utility bill 41
that has the applicant's name and current address and that has a due 42
date that is not later than thirty days after the election or, in the case of 43
a student enrolled at an institution of higher education, a registration 44
or fee statement from such institution that has the applicant's name 45
and current address. 46
(e) If the registrars of voters determine that an applicant satisfies the 47
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application requirements set forth in subsection (d) of this section, the 48
registrars of voters shall check the state-wide centralized voter 49
registration system before admitting such applicant as an elector. 50
(1) If the registrars of voters determine that the applicant is not 51
already an elector, the registrars of voters shall admit the applicant as 52
an elector and the privileges of an elector shall attach immediately. 53
(2) If the registrars of voters determine that such applicant is an 54
elector in another municipality and such applicant states that he or she 55
wants to change the municipality in which the applicant is an elector, 56
notwithstanding the provisions of section 9-21, the registrars of voters 57
of the municipality in which such elector now seeks to register shall 58
immediately notify the registrars of voters in such other municipality 59
that such elector is changing the municipality in which the applicant is 60
an elector. The registrars of voters in such other municipality shall 61
notify the election officials in such municipality to remove such elector 62
from the official voter list of such municipality. Such election officials 63
shall cross through the elector's name on such official voter list and 64
mark "off" next to such elector's name on such official voter list. 65
(A) If it is reported that such applicant already voted in such other 66
municipality, the registrars of voters of such other municipality shall 67
immediately notify the registrars of voters of the municipality in which 68
such elector now seeks to register. In such event, such elector shall not 69
receive an election day registration ballot from the registrars of voters 70
of the municipality in which such elector now seeks to register. For any 71
such elector, the election day registration process shall cease in the 72
municipality in which such elector now seeks to register and such 73
matter shall be reviewed by the registrars of voters in the municipality 74
in which such elector now seeks to register. After completion of such 75
review, if a resolution of the matter [can not] cannot be made, such 76
matter shall be reported to the State Elections Enforcement 77
Commission which shall conduct an investigation of the matter. 78
(B) [If there is no such] Unless there is a report that such applicant 79
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has not already voted in the other municipality, such applicant shall 80
not receive an election day registration ballot from the registrars of 81
voters of the municipality in which the applicant seeks to register. 82
[shall admit the applicant as an elector and the privileges of an elector 83
shall attach immediately] For any such applicant, the election day 84
registration process shall cease in the municipality in which such 85
applicant now seeks to register until such time as such report is made. 86
(f) If the applicant is admitted as an elector, the registrars of voters 87
shall provide the elector with an election day registration ballot and 88
election day registration envelope and shall make a record of such 89
issuance. The elector shall complete an affirmation imprinted upon the 90
back of the envelope for an election day registration ballot and shall 91
declare under oath that the applicant has not previously voted in the 92
election. The affirmation shall be in the form substantially as follows 93
and signed by the voter: 94
AFFIRMATION: I, the undersigned, do hereby state, under penalty 95
of false statement, (perjury) that: 96
1. I am the person admitted here as an elector in the town indicated. 97
2. I am eligible to vote in the election indicated for today in the town 98
indicated. 99
3. The information on my voter registration card is correct and 100
complete. 101
4. I reside at the address that I have given to the registrars of voters. 102
5. If previously registered at another location, I have provided such 103
address to the registrars of voters and hereby request cancellation of 104
such prior registration. 105
6. I have not voted in person or by absentee ballot and I will not 106
vote otherwise than by this ballot at this election. 107
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7. I completed an application for an election day registration ballot 108
and received an election day registration ballot. 109
.... (Signature of voter) 110
(g) The elector shall forthwith mark the election day registration 111
ballot in the presence of the registrars of voters in such a manner that 112
the registrars of voters shall not know how the election day 113
registration ballot is marked. The elector shall place the election day 114
registration ballot in the election day registration ballot envelope 115
provided, and deposit such envelope in a secured election day 116
registration ballot depository receptacle. At the time designated by the 117
registrars of voters and noticed to election officials, the registrars of 118
voters shall transport such receptacle containing the election day 119
registration ballots to the central location or polling place, pursuant to 120
subsection (b) of section 9-147a, where absentee ballots are counted 121
and such election day registration ballots shall be counted by the 122
election officials present at such central location or polling place. A 123
section of the head moderator's return shall show the number of 124
election day registration ballots received from electors. The registrars 125
of voters shall seal a copy of the vote tally for election day registration 126
ballots in a depository envelope with the election day registration 127
ballots and store such election day registration depository envelope 128
with the other election results materials. The election day registration 129
depository envelope shall be preserved by the registrars of voters for 130
the period of time required to preserve counted ballots for elections. 131
(h) The provisions of the general statutes and regulations 132
concerning procedures relating to the custody, control and counting of 133
absentee ballots shall apply as nearly as possible, to the custody, 134
control and counting of election day registration ballots under 135
subsections (a) to (i), inclusive, of this section. 136
(i) (1) After the acceptance of an election day registration, the 137
registrars of voters shall forthwith send a registration confirmation 138
notice to the residential address of each applicant who is admitted as 139
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an elector on election day under subsections (a) to (i), inclusive, of this 140
section. Such confirmation shall be sent by first class mail with 141
instructions on the envelope that it be returned if not deliverable at the 142
address shown on the envelope. If a confirmation notice is returned 143
undelivered, the registrars shall forthwith take the necessary action in 144
accordance with section 9-35 or 9-43, as applicable, notwithstanding 145
the May first deadline in section 9-35. 146
(2) (A) Not later than ninety days after election day, the registrars of 147
voters of each town shall (i) compile a report of (I) the number of 148
persons applying for election day registration as described in 149
subsection (d) of this section, (II) the number of such persons not 150
permitted to register in accordance with subparagraph (A) of 151
subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of this section, (III) the number of 152
registration confirmation notices sent to admitted applicants, pursuant 153
to subdivision (1) of this subsection, that were returned undelivered, 154
and (IV) the number of such admitted applicants that were 155
subsequently placed on the inactive registry list as a result of such 156
notices being returned undelivered, in accordance with subdivision (1) 157
of this subsection and section 9-35, and (ii) submit such report to the 158
Secretary of the State. 159
(B) Not later than one hundred twenty days after election day, the 160
Secretary of the State shall (i) aggregate all reports submitted to the 161
Secretary under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision into one single 162
report, and (ii) submit such single report to the joint standing 163
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 164
relating to elections, in accordance with section 11-4a, and to the State 165
Elections Enforcement Commission. 166
(3) Not later than five days after a determination of the registrars of 167
voters of any town that the residency of an admitted applicant cannot 168
be verified because a registration confirmation notice for such 169
applicant was returned undelivered to such registrars, as provided in 170
subdivision (1) of this subsection, such registrars shall report all 171
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information resulting in such determination to the State Elections 172
Enforcement Commission which shall conduct an investigation of the 173
matter. 174
(j) No person shall solicit in behalf of or in opposition to the 175
candidacy of another or himself or herself or in behalf of or in 176
opposition to any question being submitted at the election, or loiter or 177
peddle or offer any advertising matter, ballot or circular to another 178
person within a radius of seventy-five feet of any outside entrance in 179
use as an entry to the registrars' of voters designated location for 180
election day registration balloting or in any corridor, passageway or 181
other approach leading from any such outside entrance to such 182
registrars' of voters designated location or in any room opening upon 183
any such corridor, passageway or approach. 184
(k) The Secretary of the State shall develop a process by which 185
registrars of voters and other elections officials serving at designated 186
election day registration locations shall confirm that persons applying 187
to register on election day under this section, which persons are 188
registered to vote in any other state, have not already voted in such 189
other state on such election day. For any such person, such registrars 190
or election officials shall provide to such person a provisional ballot 191
until such process has been developed. 192
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 9-19j
Statement of Purpose:
To implement several reforms concerning the integrity of election day
registration procedures.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. SAMPSON, 16th Dist.; REP. DAUPHINAIS, 44th Dist.
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S.B. 268