Connecticut 2020 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB05282 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	LCO No. 1464 1 of 5
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5282
6	6	February Session, 2020
7	7	LCO No. 1464
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
11	11	AND ELECTIONS
12	12
13	13
14	14	Introduced by:
15	15	(GAE)
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19	19
20	20	AN ACT CONCERNING PO LLING PLACE CHALLENG ERS.
21	21	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	22	Assembly convened:
23	23
24	24	Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 9-232 of the general statutes is 1
25	25	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
26	26	2020): 3
27	27	(a) [Each registrar may appoint one or more challengers in his town 4
28	28	or district, one of whom may be present at the offering of any vote; and 5
29	29	any such challenger or any] Any elector may challenge the right of any 6
30	30	person offering to vote, on the ground of want of identity with the 7
31	31	person on whose name the vote is offered, or disfranchisement or lack 8
32	32	of bona fide residence, and the moderator shall decide upon the right of 9
33	33	the person so challenged to vote. 10
34	34	Sec. 2. Section 9-235d of the general statutes is repealed and the 11
35	35	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2020): 12
36	36	(a) Notwithstanding any provision of sections 9-233, 9-235 and 9-258, 13
37	37	as amended by this act, to the contrary, a United States citizen who is 14 Raised Bill No. 5282
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39	39
40	40
41	41	LCO No. 1464 2 of 5
42	42
43	43	sixteen or seventeen years of age and a bona fide resident of a town may 15
44	44	be [(1)] appointed as [a challenger or] (1) an unofficial checker in an 16
45	45	election, or (2) [appointed as] a checker, translator, ballot clerk or voting 17
46	46	tabulator tender in an election after (A) attending poll worker training, 18
47	47	and (B) receiving the written permission of a parent, guardian or the 19
48	48	principal of the school that the citizen attends if the citizen is a secondary 20
49	49	school student and the citizen is to be appointed to work on a day when 21
50	50	such school is in session. 22
51	51	(b) Notwithstanding any provision of section 9-436, as amended by 23
52	52	this act, or 9-436a to the contrary, a United States citizen who is sixteen 24
53	53	or seventeen years of age and a bona fide resident of a town or political 25
54	54	subdivision holding a primary may be [(1)] appointed as [a challenger 26
55	55	or] (1) a candidate checker in the primary, or (2) [appointed as] a 27
56	56	checker, translator, ballot clerk or voting tabulator tender in a primary 28
57	57	after (A) attending poll worker training, and (B) receiving the written 29
58	58	permission of a parent, guardian or the principal of the school that the 30
59	59	citizen attends if the citizen is a secondary school student and the citizen 31
60	60	is to be appointed to work on a day when such school is in session. 32
61	61	Sec. 3. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-258 of the general statutes 33
62	62	are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 34
63	63	1, 2020): 35
64	64	(a) For municipalities with more than one voting district, the election 36
65	65	officials of each polling place shall be electors of the state and shall 37
66	66	consist of (1) one moderator, (2) at least one but not more than two 38
67	67	official checkers, (3) two assistant registrars of voters of opposite 39
68	68	political parties, each of whom shall be residents of the town, (4) [not 40
69	69	more than two challengers if the registrars of voters have appointed 41
70	70	challengers pursuant to section 9-232, (5)] at least one but not more than 42
71	71	two ballot clerks, and [(6)] (5) at least one but not more than two voting 43
72	72	tabulator tenders for each voting tabulator in use at the polling place. A 44
73	73	known candidate for any office shall not serve as an election official on 45
74	74	election day or serve at the polls in any capacity, except that (A) a 46
75	75	municipal clerk or a registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the same 47 Raised Bill No. 5282
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79	79	LCO No. 1464 3 of 5
80	80
81	81	office, may perform his or her official duties, and (B) a deputy registrar 48
82	82	of voters, who is a candidate for the office of registrar of voters, may 49
83	83	perform his or her official duties. If, in the opinion of the registrar of 50
84	84	voters, the public convenience of the electors in any voting district so 51
85	85	requires, provision shall be made for an additional line or lines of 52
86	86	electors at the polling place and, if more than one line of electors is 53
87	87	established, at least one but not more than two additional official 54
88	88	checkers and at least one but not more than two ballot clerks for each 55
89	89	line of electors shall be appointed and, if more than one tabulator is used 56
90	90	in a polling place, at least one but not more than two additional voting 57
91	91	tabulator tenders shall be appointed for each additional machine so 58
92	92	used. Head moderators, central counting moderators and absentee 59
93	93	ballot counters appointed pursuant to law shall also be deemed election 60
94	94	officials. 61
95	95	(b) For municipalities with one voting district, the election officials of 62
96	96	such polling place shall be electors of the state and shall consist of (1) 63
97	97	one moderator, (2) at least one but not more than two official checkers, 64
98	98	(3) [not more than two challengers if the registrars of voters have 65
99	99	appointed challengers pursuant to section 9-232, (4)] at least one but not 66
100	100	more than two voting tabulator tenders for each voting tabulator in use 67
101	101	at the polling place, and [(5)] (4) at least one but not more than two ballot 68
102	102	clerks. Additionally, such election officials may consist of two registrars 69
103	103	of voters of opposite political parties, or two assistant registrars of voters 70
104	104	of opposite political parties, as the case may be, subject to the 71
105	105	requirements of sections 9-259 and 9-439, provided if the registrars of 72
106	106	voters are present in the polling place, they shall appoint at least one 73
107	107	designee to be present in their office. A known candidate for any office 74
108	108	shall not serve as an election official on election day or serve at the polls 75
109	109	in any capacity, except that (A) a municipal clerk or a registrar of voters, 76
110	110	who is a candidate for the same office, may perform his or her official 77
111	111	duties, and (B) a deputy registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the 78
112	112	office of registrar of voters, may perform his or her official duties. If, in 79
113	113	the opinion of the registrar of voters, the public convenience of the 80
114	114	electors in any voting district so requires, provision shall be made for an 81 Raised Bill No. 5282
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118	118	LCO No. 1464 4 of 5
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120	120	additional line or lines of electors at the polling place and, if more than 82
121	121	one line of electors is established, at least one but not more than two 83
122	122	additional official checkers for each line of electors shall be appointed 84
123	123	and, if more than one tabulator is used in a polling place, at least one 85
124	124	but not more than two additional voting tabulator tenders shall be 86
125	125	appointed for each additional tabulator so used. Head moderators, 87
126	126	central counting moderators and absentee ballot counters appointed 88
127	127	pursuant to law shall be deemed to be election officials. 89
128	128	Sec. 4. Subsection (c) of section 9-436 of the general statutes is 90
129	129	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 91
130	130	2020): 92
131	131	(c) The registrar shall appoint from among the enrolled party 93
132	132	members in the state, to serve in each polling place, the primary polling 94
133	133	place officials, who shall consist of (1) one moderator, (2) at least one [,] 95
134	134	but not more than two official checkers, [not more than two challengers 96
135	135	if the registrar deems it necessary, and] (3) at least one [and] but not 97
136	136	more than two ballot clerks, [and] (4) at least one but not more than two 98
137	137	voting tabulator tenders for each tabulator in use at such primary, and 99
138	138	[,] (5) in towns with two or more voting districts, at least one [and] but 100
139	139	not more than two assistant registrars, provided [(1)] (A) in the case of 101
140	140	either a municipality or a political subdivision holding a primary, if no 102
141	141	enrolled party member can be found or no such person consents to serve 103
142	142	as a moderator, the registrar may appoint any elector who resides in the 104
143	143	state and is a certified moderator to be moderator, [(2)] (B) in the case of 105
144	144	a political subdivision holding a primary, if an insufficient number of 106
145	145	enrolled party members who reside in the state consent to serve as 107
146	146	checkers, [challengers,] voting tabulator tenders or assistant registrars, 108
147	147	the registrar may appoint any elector who resides in the state to be a 109
148	148	checker, [challenger,] voting tabulator tender or assistant registrar, and 110
149	149	[(3)] (C) in the case of either a municipality or a political subdivision 111
150	150	holding more than one primary on the same day for different political 112
151	151	parties, one certified moderator may serve as moderator for both 113
152	152	primaries, if the registrars of voters so agree. If unaffiliated electors are 114
153	153	authorized under section 9-431 to vote for some but not all of the offices 115 Raised Bill No. 5282
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156	156
157	157	LCO No. 1464 5 of 5
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159	159	to be contested at the primary, the registrar shall appoint two additional 116
160	160	checkers to check the list of unaffiliated electors who are authorized to 117
161	161	vote on the separate tabulators. If unaffiliated electors are authorized 118
162	162	under section 9-431 to vote in the primary of either of two parties in the 119
163	163	same polling place, whether for some or for all offices to be contested at 120
164	164	the primary, each such registrar shall appoint two additional checkers 121
165	165	to check the list of unaffiliated electors who are authorized to vote in 122
166	166	either such primary. 123
167	167	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
168	168	sections:
169	169
170	170	Section 1 July 1, 2020 9-232(a)
171	171	Sec. 2 July 1, 2020 9-235d
172	172	Sec. 3 July 1, 2020 9-258(a) and (b)
173	173	Sec. 4 July 1, 2020 9-436(c)
174	174
175	175	Statement of Purpose:
176	176	To eliminate registrar-appointed challengers from who may be present
177	177	in the polling place during a primary or election.
178	178	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
179	179	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
180	180	underlined.]
181	181