Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01047 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 5382 \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-R01-
4		-	SB.docx
5		-	1 of 6
	3	+	LCO No. 5382 1 of 6
6	4
7	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1047
8	6		January Session, 2019
9	7		LCO No. 5382
10	8
11	9
12		-	Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT
13		-	~~ADMINISTRATION~~ AND ELECTIONS
	10	+	Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
	11	+	AND ELECTIONS
14	12
15	13
16	14		Introduced by:
17	15		(GAE)
	16	+
18	17
19	18
20	19
21	20		AN ACT CONCERNING BA LLOT ACCESS FOR PETITIONING
22	21		CANDIDATES.
23	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
24	23		Assembly convened:
25	24
26	25		Section 1. Section 9-400 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
27	26		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 2
28	27		(a) A candidacy for nomination by a political party to a state office 3
29	28		may be filed by or on behalf of any person whose name appears upon 4
30	29		the last-completed enrollment list of such party in any municipality 5
31	30		within the state and who has either (1) received at least fifteen per cent 6
32	31		of the votes of the convention delegates present and voting on any roll-7
33	32		call vote taken on the endorsement or proposed endorsement of a 8
34	33		candidate for such state office, whether or not the party-endorsed 9
35	34		candidate for such office received a unanimous vote on the last ballot, 10
36	35		or (2) circulated a petition and obtained [the] signatures, [of] in 11
37	36		accordance with the provisions of sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive, 12
38	37		of at least ten thousand, or at least two per cent, of the enrolled 13
39		-	members of such party in the state, [in accordance with the provisions 14
40		-	of sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive] whichever is less. Candidacies 15 Raised Bill No. 1047
	38	+	members of such party in the state, [in accordance with the provisions 14 Raised Bill No. 1047
41	39
42	40
43		-	LCO 5382 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-
44		-	R01-SB.docx }
45		-	2 of 6
46	41
	42	+	LCO No. 5382 2 of 6
	43	+
	44	+	of sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive] whichever is less. Candidacies 15
47	45		described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be filed by 16
48	46		submitting to the Secretary of the State not later than four o'clock p.m. 17
49	47		on the fourteenth day following the close of the state convention, a 18
50	48		certificate, signed by such candidate and attested by either (A) the 19
51	49		chairman or presiding officer, or (B) the secretary of the convention, 20
52	50		that such candidate received at least fifteen per cent of such votes, and 21
53	51		that such candidate consents to be a candidate in a primary of such 22
54	52		party for such state office. Such certificate shall specify the candidate's 23
55	53		name as the candidate authorizes it to appear on the ballot, the 24
56	54		candidate's full residence address and the title of the office for which 25
57	55		the candidacy is being filed. If such certificate for a state office is not 26
58	56		received by the Secretary of the State by such time, such certificate 27
59	57		shall be invalid and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-416 and 28
60	58		9-416a, shall be deemed to have made no valid certification of 29
61	59		candidacy for nomination [by a political party for] to such state office. 30
62	60		A single such certificate or petition for state office may be filed on 31
63	61		behalf of two or more candidates for different state offices who consent 32
64	62		to have their names appear on a single row of the primary ballot under 33
65	63		subsection (b) of section 9-437. Candidacies described in subdivision 34
66	64		(2) of this subsection shall be filed by submitting said petition not later 35
67	65		than four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-third day preceding the day of the 36
68	66		primary for such office to the registrar of voters of the towns in which 37
69	67		the respective petition pages were circulated. Each registrar shall file 38
70	68		each page of such petition with the Secretary of the State in accordance 39
71	69		with the provisions of section 9-404c. A petition filed by or on behalf of 40
72	70		a candidate for state office shall be invalid for such candidate if such 41
73	71		candidate is certified as the party-endorsed candidate pursuant to 42
74	72		section 9-388 or as receiving at least fifteen per cent of the convention 43
75	73		vote for such office pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided in 44
76	74		section 9-416a, upon the expiration of the time period for party 45
77	75		endorsement and circulation and tabulation of petitions and 46
78	76		signatures, if any, if one or more candidacies for such state office have 47
79	77		been filed pursuant to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of 48
80		-	the State shall notify all town clerks and registrars of voters in 49
81		-	accordance with the provisions of section 9-433, that a primary for 50 Raised Bill No. 1047
	78	+	the State shall notify all town clerks and registrars of voters in 49 Raised Bill No. 1047
82	79
83	80
84		-	LCO 5382 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-
85		-	R01-SB.docx }
86		-	3 of 6
87	81
	82	+	LCO No. 5382 3 of 6
	83	+
	84	+	accordance with the provisions of section 9-433, that a primary for 50
88	85		such state office shall be held in each municipality in accordance with 51
89	86		the provisions of section 9-415. 52
90	87		(b) A candidacy for nomination by a political party to a district 53
91	88		office may be filed by or on behalf of any person whose name appears 54
92	89		upon the last-completed enrollment list of such party within the 55
93	90		district the person seeks to represent that is in the office of the 56
94	91		Secretary of the State at the end of the last day prior to the convention 57
95	92		for the party from which the person seeks nomination and who has 58
96	93		either (1) received at least fifteen per cent of the votes of the 59
97	94		convention delegates present and voting on any roll-call vote taken on 60
98	95		the endorsement or proposed endorsement of a candidate for such 61
99	96		district office, whether or not the party-endorsed candidate for such 62
100	97		office received a unanimous vote on the last ballot, or (2) circulated a 63
101	98		petition and obtained [the] signatures, in accordance with the 64
102	99		provisions of sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive, of at least two per 65
103	100		cent of the enrolled members of such party in the district for the 66
104	101		district office of representative in Congress, [and] or at least five per 67
105	102		cent of the enrolled members of such party in the district for the 68
106	103		district offices of state senator, state representative [and] or judge of 69
107	104		probate. [, in accordance with the provisions of sections 9-404a to 9-70
108	105		404c, inclusive.] Candidacies described in subdivision (1) of this 71
109	106		subsection shall be filed by submitting to the Secretary of the State not 72
110	107		later than four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day following the close of 73
111	108		the district convention, a certificate, signed by such candidate and 74
112	109		attested by either (A) the chairman or presiding officer, or (B) the 75
113	110		secretary of the convention, that such candidate received at least fifteen 76
114	111		per cent of such votes, and that the candidate consents to be a 77
115	112		candidate in a primary of such party for such district office. Such 78
116	113		certificate shall specify the candidate's name as the candidate 79
117	114		authorizes it to appear on the ballot, the candidate's full residence 80
118	115		address and the title and district of the office for which the candidacy 81
119	116		is being filed. If such certificate for a district office is not received by 82
120		-	the Secretary of the State by such time, such certificate shall be invalid 83
121		-	and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-416 and 9-416a, shall be 84 Raised Bill No. 1047
	117	+	the Secretary of the State by such time, such certificate shall be invalid 83 Raised Bill No. 1047
122	118
123	119
124		-	LCO 5382 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-
125		-	R01-SB.docx }
126		-	4 of 6
127	120
	121	+	LCO No. 5382 4 of 6
	122	+
	123	+	and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-416 and 9-416a, shall be 84
128	124		deemed to have made no valid certification of candidacy for 85
129	125		nomination [by a political party for] to such district office. Candidacies 86
130	126		described in subdivision (2) of this subsection shall be filed by 87
131	127		submitting said petition not later than four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-88
132	128		third day preceding the day of the primary for such office to the 89
133	129		registrar of voters of the towns in which the respective petition pages 90
134	130		were circulated. Each registrar shall file each page of such petition with 91
135	131		the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of section 9-404c. A 92
136	132		petition may only be filed by or on behalf of a candidate for the district 93
137	133		office of state senator, state representative or judge of probate who is 94
138	134		not certified as the party-endorsed candidate pursuant to section 9-388 95
139	135		or as receiving at least fifteen per cent of the convention vote for such 96
140	136		office pursuant to this subsection. A petition filed by or on behalf of a 97
141	137		candidate for the district office of representative in Congress shall be 98
142	138		invalid if said candidate is certified as the party-endorsed candidate 99
143	139		pursuant to section 9-388 or as receiving at least fifteen per cent of the 100
144	140		convention vote for such office pursuant to this subsection. Except as 101
145	141		provided in section 9-416a, upon the expiration of the time period for 102
146	142		party endorsement and circulation and tabulation of petitions and 103
147	143		signatures, if any, if one or more candidacies for such district office 104
148	144		have been filed pursuant to the provisions of this section, the Secretary 105
149	145		of the State shall notify all town clerks within the district, in 106
150	146		accordance with the provisions of section 9-433, that a primary for 107
151	147		such district office shall be held in each municipality and each part of a 108
152	148		municipality within the district in accordance with the provisions of 109
153	149		section 9-415. 110
154	150		(c) For the purposes of this section, the number of enrolled members 111
155	151		of a party shall be determined by the latest enrollment records in the 112
156	152		office of the Secretary of the State prior to the earliest date that primary 113
157	153		petitions were available. The names of electors on the inactive registry 114
158	154		list compiled under section 9-35 shall not be counted for purposes of 115
159	155		computing the number of petition signatures required under this 116
160	156		section, as provided in section 9-35c. 117 Raised Bill No. 1047
161	157
162	158
163		-	LCO 5382 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-
164		-	R01-SB.docx }
165		-	5 of 6
	159	+
	160	+	LCO No. 5382 5 of 6
166	161
167	162		(d) For primary petition pages received by the registrars of voters in 118
168	163		accordance with the provisions of this section prior to the last day for 119
169	164		filing primary petition candidacies, the registrars of voters shall 120
170	165		tabulate the signatures thereon and provide to the person seeking to 121
171	166		file such a candidacy a daily update of verified signatures. On the last 122
172	167		day for filing [primary petition candidacies in accordance with the 123
173	168		provisions of this section] any such candidacy, the office or office 124
174	169		facilities of the registrars of voters shall open not later than one o'clock 125
175	170		p.m., and remain open until at least four o'clock p.m., and such 126
176	171		registrars or the deputy or assistant registrars shall be present. 127
177	172		Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 9-405 of the general statutes is 128
178	173		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 129
179	174		1, 2019): 130
180	175		(b) For primary petition pages received by the registrars of voters in 131
181	176		accordance with the provisions of this section prior to the last day for 132
182	177		filing primary petition candidacies, the registrars of voters shall 133
183	178		tabulate the signatures thereon and provide to the person seeking to 134
184	179		file such a candidacy a daily update of verified signatures. On the last 135
185	180		day for filing [primary petition candidacies, in accordance with the 136
186	181		provisions of this section] any such candidacy, the office or office 137
187	182		facilities of the registrars of voters shall open not later than one o'clock 138
188	183		p.m., and remain open until at least four o'clock p.m., and such 139
189	184		registrars or their deputy or assistant registrars shall be present. 140
190	185		Sec. 3. Subsection (d) of section 9-453i of the general statutes is 141
191	186		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 142
192	187		1, 2019): 143
193	188		(d) [On such] For nominating petition pages received by the town 144
194	189		clerk prior to the last day for submitting such pages, the town clerk 145
195	190		shall tabulate the signatures thereon and provide to the person seeking 146
196	191		nomination with such petition a daily update of certified signatures. 147
197	192		On the last day for submitting such nominating petition pages, in each 148
198	193		town in which an election is to be held, the office of the town clerk 149 Raised Bill No. 1047
199	194
200	195
201		-	LCO 5382 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-01047-
202		-	R01-SB.docx }
203		-	6 of 6
	196	+
	197	+	LCO No. 5382 6 of 6
204	198
205	199		shall open not later than one o'clock p.m. and remain open until at 150
206	200		least four o'clock p.m., and the town clerk or his assistant town clerk 151
207	201		shall be present therein. 152
208	202		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
209	203		sections:
210	204
211	205		Section 1 July 1, 2019 9-400
212	206		Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 9-405(b)
213	207		Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 9-453i(d)
214	208
215		-	GAE Joint Favorable
	209	+	Statement of Purpose:
	210	+	To establish a uniform primary petition signature threshold for state-
	211	+	wide office candidates and require the applicable filing authorities for
	212	+	such petitions to provide daily updates of verified signatures on
	213	+	submitted pages.
	214	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
	215	+	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
	216	+	not underlined.]
216	217