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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2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 Section 9-235d of the general statutes is repealed and the 11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