| 29 | | - | Section 1. Section 9-324 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 |
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| 30 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2 |
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| 31 | | - | Any elector or candidate who claims that such elector or candidate is 3 |
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| 32 | | - | aggrieved by any ruling of any election official in connection with any 4 |
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| 33 | | - | election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State 5 |
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| 34 | | - | Treasurer, Attorney General, State Comptroller, state senator, state 6 |
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| 35 | | - | representative or judge of probate, held in such elector's or candidate's 7 |
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| 36 | | - | town, or that there has been a mistake in the count of the votes cast at 8 |
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| 37 | | - | such election for candidates for said offices or any of them, at any voting 9 |
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| 38 | | - | district in such elector's or candidate's town, or any candidate for such 10 |
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| 39 | | - | an office who claims that such candidate is aggrieved by a violation of 11 |
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| 40 | | - | any provision of section 9-355, 9-357 to 9-361, inclusive, 9-364, 9-364a or 12 |
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| 41 | | - | 9-365 in the casting of absentee ballots at such election or any candidate 13 |
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| 42 | | - | for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, 14 |
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| 43 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5461 |
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| 44 | | - | |
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| 45 | | - | |
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| 46 | | - | LCO No. 4981 2 of 3 |
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| 47 | | - | |
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| 48 | | - | State Treasurer, Attorney General, [or] State Comptroller, state senator 15 |
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| 49 | | - | or state representative who claims that such candidate is aggrieved by a 16 |
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| 50 | | - | violation of any provision of sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive, may bring 17 |
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| 51 | | - | such elector's or candidate's complaint to any judge of the Superior 18 |
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| 52 | | - | Court, in which such elector or candidate shall set out the claimed errors 19 |
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| 53 | | - | of such election official, the claimed errors in the count or the claimed 20 |
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| 54 | | - | violations of said sections. In any action brought pursuant to the 21 |
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| 55 | | - | provisions of this section, the complainant shall send a copy of the 22 |
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| 56 | | - | complaint by first-class mail, or deliver a copy of the complaint by hand, 23 |
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| 57 | | - | to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. If such complaint is 24 |
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| 58 | | - | made prior to such election, such judge shall proceed expeditiously to 25 |
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| 59 | | - | render judgment on the complaint and shall cause notice of the hearing 26 |
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| 60 | | - | to be given to the Secretary of the State and the State Elections 27 |
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| 61 | | - | Enforcement Commission. If such complaint is made subsequent to the 28 |
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| 62 | | - | election, it shall be brought not later than fourteen days after the election 29 |
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| 63 | | - | or, if such complaint is brought in response to the manual tabulation of 30 |
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| 64 | | - | paper ballots authorized pursuant to section 9-320f, such complaint 31 |
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| 65 | | - | shall be brought not later than seven days after the close of any such 32 |
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| 66 | | - | manual tabulation and, in either such circumstance, such judge shall 33 |
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| 67 | | - | forthwith order a hearing to be had upon such complaint, upon a day 34 |
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| 68 | | - | not more than five nor less than three days from the making of such 35 |
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| 69 | | - | order, and shall cause notice of not less than three nor more than five 36 |
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| 70 | | - | days to be given to any candidate or candidates whose election may be 37 |
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| 71 | | - | affected by the decision upon such hearing, to such election official, the 38 |
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| 72 | | - | Secretary of the State, the State Elections Enforcement Commission and 39 |
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| 73 | | - | to any other party or parties whom such judge deems proper parties 40 |
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| 74 | | - | thereto, of the time and place for the hearing upon such complaint. Such 41 |
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| 75 | | - | judge shall, on the day fixed for such hearing and without unnecessary 42 |
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| 76 | | - | delay, proceed to hear the parties. If sufficient reason is shown, such 43 |
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| 77 | | - | judge may order any voting tabulators to be unlocked or any ballot 44 |
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| 78 | | - | boxes to be opened and a recount of the votes cast, including absentee 45 |
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| 79 | | - | ballots, to be made. Such judge shall thereupon, in case such judge finds 46 |
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| 80 | | - | any error in the rulings of the election official, any mistake in the count 47 |
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| 81 | | - | of the votes or any violation of said sections, certify the result of such 48 |
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| 82 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5461 |
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| 83 | | - | |
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| 84 | | - | |
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| 85 | | - | LCO No. 4981 3 of 3 |
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| 86 | | - | |
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| 87 | | - | judge's finding or decision to the Secretary of the State before the 49 |
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| 88 | | - | fifteenth day of the next succeeding December. Such judge may order a 50 |
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| 89 | | - | new election or a change in the existing election schedule. Such 51 |
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| 90 | | - | certificate of such judge of such judge's finding or decision shall be final 52 |
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| 91 | | - | and conclusive upon all questions relating to errors in the rulings of 53 |
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| 92 | | - | such election officials, to the correctness of such count, and, for the 54 |
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| 93 | | - | purposes of this section only, such claimed violations, and shall operate 55 |
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| 94 | | - | to correct the returns of the moderators or presiding officers, so as to 56 |
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| 95 | | - | conform to such finding or decision, unless the same is appealed from 57 |
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| 96 | | - | as provided in section 9-325. 58 |
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| 97 | | - | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 98 | | - | sections: |
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| 99 | | - | |
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| 100 | | - | Section 1 October 1, 2021 9-324 |
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| 101 | | - | |
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| 30 | + | That section 9-324 of the general statutes be amended to provide that 1 |
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| 31 | + | certain aggrieved parties may bring complaints regarding elections for 2 |
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| 32 | + | the offices of state senator and state representative to the Superior Court. 3 |
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