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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 239
February Session, 2020
LCO No. 1770
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING AU DITING OF SIGNED STATEMENTS OF
ELECTORS PRIOR TO VO TING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 9-261 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2020): 2
(a) In each primary, election or referendum, when an elector has 3
entered the polling place, the elector shall announce the elector's street 4
address, if any, and the elector's name to the official checker or checkers 5
in a tone sufficiently loud and clear as to enable all the election officials 6
present to hear the same. Each elector who registered to vote by mail for 7
the first time on or after January 1, 2003, and has a "mark" next to the 8
elector's name on the official registry list, as required by section 9-23r, 9
as amended by this act, shall present to the official checker or checkers, 10
before the elector votes, either a current and valid photo identification 11
that shows the elector's name and address or a copy of a current utility 12
bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government 13
document that shows the name and address of the elector. Each other 14 Raised Bill No. 239
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elector shall (1) present to the official checker or checkers the elector's 15
Social Security card or any other preprinted form of identification which 16
shows the elector's name and either the elector's address, signature or 17
photograph, or (2) on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State, 18
write the elector's residential address and date of birth, print the 19
elector's name and sign a statement under penalty of false statement that 20
the elector is the elector whose name appears on the official checklist. 21
Such form shall clearly state the penalty of false statement. A separate 22
form shall be used for each elector. If the elector presents a preprinted 23
form of identification under subdivision (1) of this subsection, the 24
official checker or checkers shall check the name of such elector on the 25
official checklist, manually on paper or electronically. If the elector 26
completes the form under subdivision (2) of this subsection, the registrar 27
of voters or the assistant registrar of voters, as the case may be, shall 28
examine the information on such form and either instruct the official 29
checker or checkers to check the name of such elector on the official 30
checklist, manually on paper or electronically, or notify the elector that 31
the form is incomplete or inaccurate. Such registrar or assistant registrar 32
shall maintain a log of (A) each elector who completes the form under 33
subdivision (2) of this subsection, and (B) each such elector for whom 34
such form is incomplete or inaccurate. 35
(b) In the event that an elector is present at the polling place but is 36
unable to gain access to the polling place due to a temporary incapacity, 37
the elector may request that the ballot be brought to him or her. The 38
registrars of voters or the assistant registrars of voters, as the case may 39
be, shall take such ballot, along with a privacy sleeve to such elector. 40
The elector shall show identification, in accordance with the provisions 41
of this section. The elector shall forthwith mark the ballot in the presence 42
of the election officials in such manner that the election officials shall not 43
know how the ballot is marked. The elector shall place the ballot in the 44
privacy sleeve. The election officials shall mark the elector's name on the 45
official voter list, manually on paper or electronically, as having voted 46
in person and deliver such ballot and privacy sleeve to the voting 47
tabulator where such ballot shall be placed into the tabulator, by the 48 Raised Bill No. 239
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election official, for counting. The moderator shall record such activity 49
in the moderator's diary. 50
(c) In each polling place in which two or more parties are holding 51
primaries in which unaffiliated electors are authorized to vote, pursuant 52
to section 9-431, an unaffiliated elector shall also announce to the 53
separate table of the official checker or checkers for unaffiliated electors 54
the party in whose primary the elector chooses to vote and the official 55
checker or checkers shall note such party when checking such elector's 56
name on the checklist of unaffiliated electors, manually on paper or 57
electronically, provided such choice shall not alter the elector's 58
unaffiliated status. 59
(d) In each polling place in which two or more parties are holding 60
primaries in which unaffiliated electors are authorized to vote or in 61
which one party is holding a primary in which unaffiliated electors are 62
authorized to vote for some but not all offices to be contested at the 63
primary, the official checker or checkers shall give to each elector 64
checked manually on paper or electronically, a receipt provided by the 65
registrars of voters, in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State, 66
specifying either (1) the party with which the elector is enrolled, if any, 67
or (2) in the case of an unaffiliated elector, the party in whose primary 68
the elector has so chosen to vote, and whether the elector is authorized 69
to vote for only a partial ballot. 70
(e) If not challenged by anyone lawfully present in the polling place, 71
the elector shall be permitted to pass to the separated area to receive the 72
ballot. The elector shall give any receipt the elector has received to a 73
ballot clerk who shall give the elector a ballot to vote only in the primary 74
of the party specified by the receipt. The elector shall be permitted into 75
the voting booth area, and shall then register his or her vote in secret. 76
Having voted, the elector shall immediately exit the voting booth area 77
and deposit the ballot in the voting tabulator and leave the room. No 78
elector shall remain within the voting booth longer than the time 79
necessary to complete the ballot, and, if the elector refuses to leave such 80
booth after completing the ballot, the elector shall at once be removed 81 Raised Bill No. 239
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by the election officials upon order of the moderator. Not more than one 82
elector at a time shall be permitted to be within the enclosed space which 83
the elector occupies while the elector completes his or her ballot, 84
provided an elector may be accompanied within such enclosed space by 85
one or more children who are fifteen years of age or younger and 86
supervised by the elector, if the elector is the parent or legal guardian of 87
such children. If any elector, after entering the voting booth area, asks 88
for further instruction concerning the manner of voting, the election 89
officials shall give such instructions or directions to the elector; but no 90
election official instructing or assisting an elector, except as provided in 91
section 9-264, shall look at the ballot in such a way as to see the elector's 92
markings or in any manner seek to influence any such elector in the 93
casting of the elector's vote. 94
(f) Not later than ninety days after each primary, election or 95
referendum, the registrars of voters of each town shall (1) compile a 96
report of (A) the number of electors who completed the form under 97
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, and (B) the number of 98
such electors for whom such form was incomplete or inaccurate, and (2) 99
submit such report to the Secretary of the State. 100
Sec. 2. Subdivision (4) of subsection (d) of section 9-23g of the general 101
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 102
(Effective October 1, 2020): 103
(4) If on the day of an election or primary, the name of an applicant 104
does not appear on the official check list, such applicant may present to 105
the moderator at the polls either a notice of acceptance received through 106
the mail or an application receipt that was previously provided to the 107
applicant pursuant to section 9-19e, subsection (b) of section 9-19h, 108
subsection (b) of this section or section 9-23n. If an applicant presents 109
said notice or receipt, and either the registrars of voters find the original 110
application or the applicant submits a new application at the polls, the 111
registrar, or assistant registrar upon notice to and approval by the 112
registrar, shall add such person's name and address to the official check 113
list on such day and the person shall be allowed to vote if otherwise 114 Raised Bill No. 239
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eligible to vote and the person presents to the checkers at the polling 115
place a preprinted form of identification pursuant to [subparagraph (A) 116
of subdivision (2)] subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 9-261, as 117
amended by this act. 118
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 9-23r of the general statutes is 119
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 120
1, 2020): 121
(b) If an individual submits such information pursuant to this section 122
as part of the individual's voter registration application and, with 123
respect to subdivision (3) or (4) of subsection (a) of this section, the 124
registrars of voters are able to match the information submitted with an 125
existing Connecticut identification record bearing the same number, 126
name and date of birth as provided, such individual shall not be 127
required to produce identification when voting in person or by absentee 128
ballot and may sign a statement as described in [subparagraph (B) of] 129
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-261, as amended by this act, 130
in lieu of presenting identification when voting in person. 131
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2020 9-261
Sec. 2 October 1, 2020 9-23g(d)(4)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2020 9-23r(b)
Statement of Purpose:
To require certain election officials to (1) maintain information about
electors who sign statements in lieu of presenting certain identification
at the polls when voting in person, and (2) compile a report of such
information for submission to the Secretary of the State.
[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.]