| 26 | | - | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) In any municipality where the 1 |
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| 27 | | - | registrars of voters or the legislative body of such municipality, as 2 |
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| 28 | | - | applicable, propose that the location of any polling place to be used at 3 |
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| 29 | | - | such election or primary be moved from the location of such polling 4 |
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| 30 | | - | place at the immediately preceding election or primary, (1) not later than 5 |
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| 31 | | - | one hundred twenty days before such election or primary, the registrars 6 |
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| 32 | | - | of voters or legislative body, as applicable, shall so propose any such 7 |
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| 33 | | - | move at a regular meeting of such legislative body, (2) not later than one 8 |
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| 34 | | - | hundred ten days before such election or primary, the legislative body 9 |
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| 35 | | - | shall conduct a public hearing on such proposed move, and (3) not later 10 |
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| 36 | | - | than one hundred days before such election or primary, the legislative 11 |
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| 37 | | - | body shall approve or disapprove such proposed move. In the case of 12 |
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| 38 | | - | any such proposed move that is approved, the registrars of voters or the 13 |
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| 39 | | - | legislative body, as applicable, shall designate such new polling place 14 |
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| 40 | | - | location in accordance with the provisions of applicable law. 15 |
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| 41 | | - | Sec. 2. Section 9-168 of the general statutes is repealed and the 16 |
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| 42 | | - | LCO No. 4905 2 of 6 |
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| 43 | | - | |
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| 44 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 17 |
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| 45 | | - | [In] Subject to the provisions of section 1 of this act, (1) in any town 18 |
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| 46 | | - | not divided into voting districts, the place of holding elections may be 19 |
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| 47 | | - | determined by the legislative body of such town, [. In] and (2) in towns 20 |
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| 48 | | - | divided into voting districts, the place of holding elections shall be 21 |
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| 49 | | - | determined as provided in section 9-169, as amended by this act, or any 22 |
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| 50 | | - | special act, whichever applies. Except as provided in section 9-169a, 23 |
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| 51 | | - | state elections shall be held at the usual place or places of holding 24 |
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| 52 | | - | elections in the town or the voting districts thereof, as the case may be, 25 |
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| 53 | | - | unless, [the registrars of voters, in writing, have designated to the clerk 26 |
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| 54 | | - | of such town,] at least thirty-one days before any such state election, the 27 |
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| 55 | | - | legislative body of such town designates a different place or places for 28 |
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| 56 | | - | holding such election in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of 29 |
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| 57 | | - | this act. Unless otherwise provided by special act, the place of holding 30 |
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| 58 | | - | city or borough elections shall be determined by the legislative body of 31 |
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| 59 | | - | such city or borough. Any provision of any charter or special act to the 32 |
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| 60 | | - | contrary notwithstanding, the place or places of holding an election 33 |
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| 61 | | - | shall be determined at least thirty-one days prior to such election, and 34 |
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| 62 | | - | such place or places shall not be changed within the period of thirty-one 35 |
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| 63 | | - | days prior to such election except that, if the municipal clerk and 36 |
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| 64 | | - | registrars of voters of a municipality unanimously find that any such 37 |
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| 65 | | - | polling place within such municipality has been rendered unusable 38 |
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| 66 | | - | within such period, they shall forthwith designate another polling place 39 |
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| 67 | | - | to be used in place of the one so rendered unusable and shall give 40 |
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| 68 | | - | adequate notice that such polling place has been so changed. 41 |
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| 69 | | - | Sec. 3. Section 9-168a of the general statutes is repealed and the 42 |
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| 70 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 43 |
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| 71 | | - | (a) Any provision of the general statutes to the contrary 44 |
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| 72 | | - | notwithstanding, in any municipality in which, at any election, or 45 |
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| 73 | | - | primary, as a result of the assembly, senatorial or congressional district 46 |
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| 74 | | - | lines in effect, there is a voting district or a part of a voting district which 47 |
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| 75 | | - | differs geographically from the district lines as constituted in a 48 |
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| 76 | | - | municipal election year, the [registrars of voters] legislative body of the 49 |
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| 77 | | - | LCO No. 4905 3 of 6 |
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| 78 | | - | |
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| 79 | | - | municipality may, in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this 50 |
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| 80 | | - | act, either provide a suitable polling place therein or, [may,] in lieu 51 |
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| 81 | | - | thereof, [with the approval of the legislative body of the municipality,] 52 |
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| 82 | | - | provide separate voting tabulators in the polling place of another voting 53 |
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| 83 | | - | district in said municipality for use by such electors. The registrars of 54 |
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| 84 | | - | voters shall determine which polling place officials are necessary for 55 |
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| 85 | | - | such separate tabulators and shall provide the procedure to ensure that 56 |
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| 86 | | - | the electors use the proper voting tabulator, which procedure may 57 |
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| 87 | | - | include the registrars of voters prescribing and providing receipts. 58 |
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| 88 | | - | (b) Any provision of the general statutes to the contrary 59 |
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| 89 | | - | notwithstanding, in any municipality in which, at any election or 60 |
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| 90 | | - | primary, as a result of the assembly, senatorial or congressional district 61 |
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| 91 | | - | lines in effect, there is a voting district with less than one thousand five 62 |
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| 92 | | - | hundred electors who vote for a combination of officers that no other 63 |
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| 93 | | - | electors of the town vote for, the [registrars of voters] legislative body of 64 |
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| 94 | | - | the municipality may, in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of 65 |
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| 95 | | - | this act, either provide a suitable polling place therein or, [may,] in lieu 66 |
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| 96 | | - | thereof, provide separate voting tabulators in the polling place of 67 |
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| 97 | | - | another voting district in said municipality for use by such electors. If 68 |
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| 98 | | - | the [registrars of voters provide] legislative body provides separate 69 |
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| 99 | | - | voting tabulators in the polling place of another voting district, [they] 70 |
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| 100 | | - | the registrars of voters shall determine which polling place officials are 71 |
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| 101 | | - | necessary for the district containing less than one thousand five 72 |
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| 102 | | - | hundred electors and shall provide the procedure to ensure that the 73 |
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| 103 | | - | electors use the proper voting tabulators, which procedure may include 74 |
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| 104 | | - | the registrars of voters prescribing and providing receipts. 75 |
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| 105 | | - | (c) In any election or primary where electors in more than one voting 76 |
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| 106 | | - | district vote in the same building and vote for all the same officers, and 77 |
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| 107 | | - | the law does not require separate returns, the registrars of voters may 78 |
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| 108 | | - | combine the voting districts and polling places into one voting district 79 |
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| 109 | | - | and polling place, with or without integrating the voting districts on the 80 |
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| 110 | | - | check lists used at the election or primary. The registrars of voters shall 81 |
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| 111 | | - | file a statement of their action with the town clerk before the election or 82 |
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| 112 | | - | primary and the town clerk shall label the polling place return form to 83 |
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| 113 | | - | LCO No. 4905 4 of 6 |
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| 114 | | - | |
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| 115 | | - | show which districts are combined on such return. 84 |
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| 116 | | - | Sec. 4. Section 9-168b of the general statutes is repealed and the 85 |
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| 117 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 86 |
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| 118 | | - | When in the written opinion of the registrars of any municipality, the 87 |
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| 119 | | - | lack of an existing convenient or suitable polling place within the lines 88 |
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| 120 | | - | of a particular voting district necessitates the designation of a polling 89 |
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| 121 | | - | place in an adjacent district, such registrars may submit such written 90 |
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| 122 | | - | opinion to the legislative body of such municipality along with a 91 |
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| 123 | | - | proposal for the legislative body to designate a convenient and suitable 92 |
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| 124 | | - | polling place in a voting district adjacent thereto, located as near as 93 |
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| 125 | | - | possible to the boundaries of the voting district for which designated, in 94 |
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| 126 | | - | accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this act. A separate 95 |
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| 127 | | - | location from the existing polling place for such adjacent district shall 96 |
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| 128 | | - | be designated, except that a separate room within such existing polling 97 |
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| 129 | | - | place may be designated. Such written opinion of the registrars and 98 |
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| 130 | | - | designation by the legislative body shall be filed with the municipal 99 |
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| 131 | | - | clerk not later than ninety days before a regular election, or primary. 100 |
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| 132 | | - | Within ten days after such filing, the municipal clerk shall cause notice 101 |
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| 133 | | - | of such filing to be published in the newspaper having the greatest 102 |
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| 134 | | - | circulation in the town. Such designation shall remain in effect for future 103 |
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| 135 | | - | elections and primaries, until the registrars file a document with the 104 |
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| 136 | | - | municipal clerk stating that the designation of such polling place in an 105 |
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| 137 | | - | adjacent district is no longer necessary. 106 |
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| 138 | | - | Sec. 5. Section 9-169 of the general statutes is repealed and the 107 |
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| 139 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 108 |
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| 140 | | - | The legislative body of any town, consolidated town and city or 109 |
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| 141 | | - | consolidated town and borough may divide and, from time to time, 110 |
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| 142 | | - | redivide such municipality into voting districts. [The] Subject to the 111 |
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| 143 | | - | provisions of section 1 of this act, the registrars of voters of any 112 |
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| 144 | | - | municipality taking such action shall provide a suitable polling place in 113 |
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| 145 | | - | each district but, if the registrars fail to agree as to the location of any 114 |
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| 146 | | - | polling place or places, the legislative body shall determine the location 115 |
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| 147 | | - | thereof. Polling places to be used in an election shall be determined at 116 |
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| 148 | | - | LCO No. 4905 5 of 6 |
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| 149 | | - | |
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| 150 | | - | least thirty-one days before such election, and such polling places shall 117 |
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| 151 | | - | not be changed within said period of thirty-one days except that, if the 118 |
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| 152 | | - | municipal clerk and registrars of voters of a municipality unanimously 119 |
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| 153 | | - | find that any such polling place within such municipality has been 120 |
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| 154 | | - | rendered unusable within such period, they shall forthwith designate 121 |
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| 155 | | - | another polling place to be used in place of the one so rendered unusable 122 |
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| 156 | | - | and shall give adequate notice that such polling place has been so 123 |
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| 157 | | - | changed. The registrars of voters shall keep separate lists of the electors 124 |
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| 158 | | - | residing in each district and shall appoint for each district a moderator 125 |
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| 159 | | - | in accordance with the provisions of section 9-229 and such other 126 |
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| 160 | | - | election officials as are required by law, and shall designate one of the 127 |
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| 161 | | - | moderators so appointed or any other elector of such town to be the 128 |
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| 162 | | - | head moderator for the purpose of declaring the results of elections in 129 |
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| 163 | | - | the whole municipality. The registrars may also designate a deputy 130 |
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| 164 | | - | head moderator to assist the head moderator in the performance of his 131 |
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| 165 | | - | duties provided the deputy head moderator and the head moderator 132 |
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| 166 | | - | shall not be enrolled in the same major party, as defined in subdivision 133 |
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| 167 | | - | (5) of section 9-372. The selectmen, town clerk, registrars of voters and 134 |
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| 168 | | - | all other officers of the municipality shall perform the duties required of 135 |
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| 169 | | - | them by law with respect to elections in each voting district established 136 |
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| 170 | | - | in accordance with this section. Voting district lines shall not be drawn 137 |
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| 171 | | - | by a municipality so as to conflict with the lines of congressional 138 |
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| 172 | | - | districts, senate districts or assembly districts as established by law, 139 |
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| 173 | | - | except (1) as provided in section 9-169d, and (2) that, as to municipal 140 |
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| 174 | | - | elections, any part of a split voting district containing less than two 141 |
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| 175 | | - | hundred electors may be combined with another voting district adjacent 142 |
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| 176 | | - | thereto from which all and the same officers are elected at such 143 |
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| 177 | | - | municipal election in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this 144 |
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| 178 | | - | act. Any change in the boundaries of voting districts made within ninety 145 |
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| 179 | | - | days prior to any election or primary shall not apply with respect to such 146 |
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| 180 | | - | election or primary. The provisions of this section shall prevail over any 147 |
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| 181 | | - | contrary provision of any charter or special act. 148 |
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| 182 | | - | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 183 | | - | sections: |
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| 184 | | - | |
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| 185 | | - | LCO No. 4905 6 of 6 |
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| 186 | | - | |
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| 187 | | - | Section 1 July 1, 2021 New section |
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| 188 | | - | Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 9-168 |
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| 189 | | - | Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 9-168a |
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| 190 | | - | Sec. 4 July 1, 2021 9-168b |
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| 191 | | - | Sec. 5 July 1, 2021 9-169 |
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| 192 | | - | |
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| 25 | + | That title 9 of the general statutes be amended to require that, in any 1 |
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| 26 | + | municipality where it is proposed that a polling place be moved from 2 |
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| 27 | + | its location at the immediately preceding election, the legislative body 3 |
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| 28 | + | of such municipality shall conduct a public hearing on such proposal 4 |
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| 29 | + | and approve or reject such proposal. 5 |
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