Connecticut 2019 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01096 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/17/2019

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 1096  
January Session, 2019 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TE CHNICAL CHANGES TO E LECTION LAWS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 9-140b of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 2 
October 1, 2019): 3 
(c) [For purposes of] As used in this section, "mailed" means sent by 4 
the United States Postal Service or any commercial carrier, courier or 5 
messenger service recognized and approved by the Secretary of the 6 
State. 7 
Sec. 2. Section 9-150c of the general statutes is repealed and the 8 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 9 
An applicant who applies for an absentee ballot because of 10 
unforeseen illness or physical disability occurring within six days 11 
immediately preceding the close of the polls at an election, primary or 12 
referendum or because the applicant is a patient in a hospital within 13 
such six-day period, may appoint a designee, as defined in subsection 14 
(b) of section 9-140b, to deliver the ballot to him, by stating on the 15 
application, in a space provided for that purpose, (1) the date of 16 
occurrence of the illness or disability or the name and address of the 17 
hospital in which the applicant is a patient within such six-day period, 18  Substitute Bill No. 1096 
 
 
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(2) the name, address and category under said subsection, of the 19 
person so designated, and (3) the delivery which the person is 20 
designated to perform, provided the person so designated shall also 21 
sign a statement on the application to the effect that he consents to the 22 
designation and will perform the delivery without tampering with the 23 
ballot in any way. If the application designates a person to deliver the 24 
ballot to the applicant, that person shall personally submit the 25 
application to the municipal clerk. If such application is submitted to 26 
the clerk in person, within six days immediately preceding the close of 27 
the polls at an election or primary, by a person designated on the 28 
application to deliver the absentee ballot to the applicant as provided 29 
in this section and in subsection (b) of [said] section 9-140b, and if the 30 
application is dated within such time, the clerk shall give that person 31 
the absentee voting set. 32 
Sec. 3. Section 9-264 of the general statutes is repealed and the 33 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 34 
An elector who requires assistance to vote, by reason of blindness, 35 
disability or inability to write or to read the ballot, may be given 36 
assistance by a person of the elector's choice, other than (1) the elector's 37 
employer, (2) an agent of such employer, (3) an officer or agent of the 38 
elector's union, or (4) a candidate for any office on the ballot, unless the 39 
elector is a member of the immediate family of such candidate. The 40 
person assisting the elector may accompany the elector into the voting 41 
booth. Such person shall register such elector's vote upon the ballot as 42 
such elector directs. Any person accompanying an elector into the 43 
voting booth who deceives any elector in registering the elector's vote 44 
under this section or seeks to influence any elector while in the act of 45 
voting, or who registers any vote for any elector or on any question 46 
other than as requested by such elector, or who gives information to 47 
any person as to what person or persons such elector voted for, or how 48 
such elector voted on any question, shall be guilty of a class D felony. 49 
As used in this section, "immediate family" [means "immediate family" 50 
as defined] has the same meaning as provided in section 9-140b, as 51  Substitute Bill No. 1096 
 
 
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amended by this act. 52 
Sec. 4. Section 9-364a of the general statutes is repealed and the 53 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 54 
Any person who influences or attempts to influence by force or 55 
threat the vote, or by force, threat, bribery or corrupt means, the 56 
speech, of any person in a primary, caucus, referendum, convention or 57 
election; or wilfully and fraudulently suppresses or destroys any vote 58 
or ballot properly given or cast or, in counting such votes or ballots, 59 
wilfully miscounts or misrepresents the number thereof; and any 60 
presiding or other officer of a primary, caucus or convention who 61 
wilfully announces the result of a ballot or vote of such primary, 62 
caucus or convention, untruly and wrongfully, shall be guilty of a class 63 
C felony. 64 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2019 9-140b(c) 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 9-150c 
Sec. 3 October 1, 2019 9-264 
Sec. 4 October 1, 2019 9-364a 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Section 3, ", as amended by this act" was added for accuracy. 
 
GAE Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO