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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6207
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 4905
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING DE SIGNATION OF POLLING PLACES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) In any municipality where the 1
registrars of voters or the legislative body of such municipality, as 2
applicable, propose that the location of any polling place to be used at 3
such election or primary be moved from the location of such polling 4
place at the immediately preceding election or primary, (1) not later than 5
one hundred twenty days before such election or primary, the registrars 6
of voters or legislative body, as applicable, shall so propose any such 7
move at a regular meeting of such legislative body, (2) not later than one 8
hundred ten days before such election or primary, the legislative body 9
shall conduct a public hearing on such proposed move, and (3) not later 10
than one hundred days before such election or primary, the legislative 11
body shall approve or disapprove such proposed move. In the case of 12
any such proposed move that is approved, the registrars of voters or the 13
legislative body, as applicable, shall designate such new polling place 14
location in accordance with the provisions of applicable law. 15
Sec. 2. Section 9-168 of the general statutes is repealed and the 16
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 17
[In] Subject to the provisions of section 1 of this act, (1) in any town 18
not divided into voting districts, the place of holding elections may be 19
determined by the legislative body of such town, [. In] and (2) in towns 20
divided into voting districts, the place of holding elections shall be 21
determined as provided in section 9-169, as amended by this act, or any 22
special act, whichever applies. Except as provided in section 9-169a, 23
state elections shall be held at the usual place or places of holding 24
elections in the town or the voting districts thereof, as the case may be, 25
unless, [the registrars of voters, in writing, have designated to the clerk 26
of such town,] at least thirty-one days before any such state election, the 27
legislative body of such town designates a different place or places for 28
holding such election in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of 29
this act. Unless otherwise provided by special act, the place of holding 30
city or borough elections shall be determined by the legislative body of 31
such city or borough. Any provision of any charter or special act to the 32
contrary notwithstanding, the place or places of holding an election 33
shall be determined at least thirty-one days prior to such election, and 34
such place or places shall not be changed within the period of thirty-one 35
days prior to such election except that, if the municipal clerk and 36
registrars of voters of a municipality unanimously find that any such 37
polling place within such municipality has been rendered unusable 38
within such period, they shall forthwith designate another polling place 39
to be used in place of the one so rendered unusable and shall give 40
adequate notice that such polling place has been so changed. 41
Sec. 3. Section 9-168a of the general statutes is repealed and the 42
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 43
(a) Any provision of the general statutes to the contrary 44
notwithstanding, in any municipality in which, at any election, or 45
primary, as a result of the assembly, senatorial or congressional district 46
lines in effect, there is a voting district or a part of a voting district which 47
differs geographically from the district lines as constituted in a 48
municipal election year, the [registrars of voters] legislative body of the 49
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municipality may, in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this 50
act, either provide a suitable polling place therein or, [may,] in lieu 51
thereof, [with the approval of the legislative body of the municipality,] 52
provide separate voting tabulators in the polling place of another voting 53
district in said municipality for use by such electors. The registrars of 54
voters shall determine which polling place officials are necessary for 55
such separate tabulators and shall provide the procedure to ensure that 56
the electors use the proper voting tabulator, which procedure may 57
include the registrars of voters prescribing and providing receipts. 58
(b) Any provision of the general statutes to the contrary 59
notwithstanding, in any municipality in which, at any election or 60
primary, as a result of the assembly, senatorial or congressional district 61
lines in effect, there is a voting district with less than one thousand five 62
hundred electors who vote for a combination of officers that no other 63
electors of the town vote for, the [registrars of voters] legislative body of 64
the municipality may, in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of 65
this act, either provide a suitable polling place therein or, [may,] in lieu 66
thereof, provide separate voting tabulators in the polling place of 67
another voting district in said municipality for use by such electors. If 68
the [registrars of voters provide] legislative body provides separate 69
voting tabulators in the polling place of another voting district, [they] 70
the registrars of voters shall determine which polling place officials are 71
necessary for the district containing less than one thousand five 72
hundred electors and shall provide the procedure to ensure that the 73
electors use the proper voting tabulators, which procedure may include 74
the registrars of voters prescribing and providing receipts. 75
(c) In any election or primary where electors in more than one voting 76
district vote in the same building and vote for all the same officers, and 77
the law does not require separate returns, the registrars of voters may 78
combine the voting districts and polling places into one voting district 79
and polling place, with or without integrating the voting districts on the 80
check lists used at the election or primary. The registrars of voters shall 81
file a statement of their action with the town clerk before the election or 82
primary and the town clerk shall label the polling place return form to 83
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show which districts are combined on such return. 84
Sec. 4. Section 9-168b of the general statutes is repealed and the 85
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 86
When in the written opinion of the registrars of any municipality, the 87
lack of an existing convenient or suitable polling place within the lines 88
of a particular voting district necessitates the designation of a polling 89
place in an adjacent district, such registrars may submit such written 90
opinion to the legislative body of such municipality along with a 91
proposal for the legislative body to designate a convenient and suitable 92
polling place in a voting district adjacent thereto, located as near as 93
possible to the boundaries of the voting district for which designated, in 94
accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this act. A separate 95
location from the existing polling place for such adjacent district shall 96
be designated, except that a separate room within such existing polling 97
place may be designated. Such written opinion of the registrars and 98
designation by the legislative body shall be filed with the municipal 99
clerk not later than ninety days before a regular election, or primary. 100
Within ten days after such filing, the municipal clerk shall cause notice 101
of such filing to be published in the newspaper having the greatest 102
circulation in the town. Such designation shall remain in effect for future 103
elections and primaries, until the registrars file a document with the 104
municipal clerk stating that the designation of such polling place in an 105
adjacent district is no longer necessary. 106
Sec. 5. Section 9-169 of the general statutes is repealed and the 107
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 108
The legislative body of any town, consolidated town and city or 109
consolidated town and borough may divide and, from time to time, 110
redivide such municipality into voting districts. [The] Subject to the 111
provisions of section 1 of this act, the registrars of voters of any 112
municipality taking such action shall provide a suitable polling place in 113
each district but, if the registrars fail to agree as to the location of any 114
polling place or places, the legislative body shall determine the location 115
thereof. Polling places to be used in an election shall be determined at 116
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least thirty-one days before such election, and such polling places shall 117
not be changed within said period of thirty-one days except that, if the 118
municipal clerk and registrars of voters of a municipality unanimously 119
find that any such polling place within such municipality has been 120
rendered unusable within such period, they shall forthwith designate 121
another polling place to be used in place of the one so rendered unusable 122
and shall give adequate notice that such polling place has been so 123
changed. The registrars of voters shall keep separate lists of the electors 124
residing in each district and shall appoint for each district a moderator 125
in accordance with the provisions of section 9-229 and such other 126
election officials as are required by law, and shall designate one of the 127
moderators so appointed or any other elector of such town to be the 128
head moderator for the purpose of declaring the results of elections in 129
the whole municipality. The registrars may also designate a deputy 130
head moderator to assist the head moderator in the performance of his 131
duties provided the deputy head moderator and the head moderator 132
shall not be enrolled in the same major party, as defined in subdivision 133
(5) of section 9-372. The selectmen, town clerk, registrars of voters and 134
all other officers of the municipality shall perform the duties required of 135
them by law with respect to elections in each voting district established 136
in accordance with this section. Voting district lines shall not be drawn 137
by a municipality so as to conflict with the lines of congressional 138
districts, senate districts or assembly districts as established by law, 139
except (1) as provided in section 9-169d, and (2) that, as to municipal 140
elections, any part of a split voting district containing less than two 141
hundred electors may be combined with another voting district adjacent 142
thereto from which all and the same officers are elected at such 143
municipal election in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this 144
act. Any change in the boundaries of voting districts made within ninety 145
days prior to any election or primary shall not apply with respect to such 146
election or primary. The provisions of this section shall prevail over any 147
contrary provision of any charter or special act. 148
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
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Section 1 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 9-168
Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 9-168a
Sec. 4 July 1, 2021 9-168b
Sec. 5 July 1, 2021 9-169
Statement of Purpose:
To require a public hearing and a vote of the legislative body prior to
any move of polling places from one election to the next.
[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.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. PAOLILLO, 97th Dist.; SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.
REP. FISHBEIN, 90th Dist.
H.B. 6207