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General Assembly Senate Joint
Resolution No. 14
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 3426
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
RESOLUTION PROPOSING A STATE CONSTITUTION AL
AMENDMENT TO PERMIT EARLY VOTING.
Resolved by this Assembly:
Section 1. That the following be proposed as an amendment to the 1
Constitution of the State, which, when approved and adopted in the 2
manner provided by the Constitution, shall, to all intents and 3
purposes, become a part thereof: 4
Section 7 of article sixth of the Constitution is amended to read as 5
follows: 6
Sec. 7. a. The general assembly may provide by law for voting in the 7
choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted on 8
at an election by qualified voters of the state who are unable to appear 9
at the polling place on the day of election because of absence from the 10
city or town of which they are inhabitants or because of sickness or 11
physical disability or because the tenets of their religion forbid secular 12
activity. 13 Committee Bill No. 14
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b. The general assembly may provide by law for voting in person in 14
the choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted 15
on at an election (1) by qualified voters of the state who do not appear 16
at the polling place on the day of election, and (2) in the city or town of 17
which such qualified voters are inhabitants. 18
Section 9 of article third of the Constitution is amended to read as 19
follows: 20
Sec. 9. At all elections for members of the general assembly the 21
presiding officers in the several towns shall [receive the votes of the 22
electors, and] count and declare [them] the votes of the electors in open 23
meeting. The presiding officers shall make and certify duplicate lists of 24
the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each. One list 25
shall be delivered [within three days] to the town clerk [, and within 26
ten days after such meeting,] and the other shall be delivered under 27
seal to the secretary of the state. 28
Section 4 of article fourth of the Constitution is amended to read as 29
follows: 30
Sec. 4. [At the meetings of the electors in the respective towns held 31
quadrennially as herein provided for the election of state officers, the 32
presiding officers shall receive the votes and shall count and declare 33
the same in the presence of the electors] The votes at the election of 34
state officers shall be counted and declared in open meeting by the 35
presiding officers in the several towns. The presiding officers shall 36
make and certify duplicate lists of the persons voted for, and of the 37
number of votes for each. One list shall be delivered [within three 38
days] to the town clerk [, and within ten days after such meeting,] and 39
the other shall be delivered under seal to the secretary of the state. The 40
votes so delivered shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the 41
treasurer, secretary, and comptroller, within the month of November. 42
The vote for treasurer shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the 43
secretary and comptroller only; the vote for secretary shall be counted, 44
canvassed and declared by the treasurer and comptroller only; and the 45 Committee Bill No. 14
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vote for comptroller shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the 46
treasurer and secretary only. A fair list of the persons and number of 47
votes given for each, together with the returns of the presiding officers, 48
shall be, by the treasurer, secretary and comptroller, made and laid 49
before the general assembly, then next to be held, on the first day of 50
the session thereof. In the election of governor, lieutenant-governor, 51
secretary, treasurer, comptroller and attorney general, the person 52
found upon the count by the treasurer, secretary and comptroller in 53
the manner herein provided, to be made and announced before 54
December fifteenth of the year of the election, to have received the 55
greatest number of votes for each of such offices, respectively, shall be 56
elected thereto; provided, if the election of any of them shall be 57
contested as provided by statute, and if such a contest shall proceed to 58
final judgment, the person found by the court to have received the 59
greatest number of votes shall be elected. If two or more persons shall 60
be found upon the count of the treasurer, secretary and comptroller to 61
have received an equal and the greatest number of votes for any of 62
said offices, and the election is not contested, the general assembly on 63
the second day of its session shall hold a joint convention of both 64
houses, at which, without debate, a ballot shall be taken to choose such 65
officer from those persons who received such a vote; and the balloting 66
shall continue on that or subsequent days until one of such persons is 67
chosen by a majority vote of those present and voting. The general 68
assembly shall have power to enact laws regulating and prescribing 69
the order and manner of voting for such officers. The general assembly 70
shall by law prescribe the manner in which all questions concerning 71
the election of a governor or lieutenant-governor shall be determined. 72
RESOLVED: That the foregoing proposed amendment to the 73
Constitution be continued to the next session of the General Assembly 74
elected at the general election to be held on November 3, 2020, and 75
published with the laws passed at the present session, or be presented 76
to the electors at the general election to be held on November 3, 2020, 77
whichever the case may be, according to article sixth of the 78
amendments to the Constitution. The designation of said proposed 79 Committee Bill No. 14
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amendment to be used on the ballots at such election shall be "Shall the 80
Constitution of the State be amended to allow the General Assembly to 81
provide opportunities for early voting in person prior to the day of an 82
election?" 83
GAE Joint Favorable