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General Assembly House Joint
Resolution No. 59
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3599
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE
CONSTITUTION TO ALLO W FOR EARLY VOTING.
Resolved by this Assembly:
Section 1. WHEREAS, at the 2019 regular session of the General 1
Assembly of the state of Connecticut, said General Assembly did 2
approve, by at least a majority, but by less than three-fourths, of the total 3
membership of each house, a resolution proposing an amendment to the 4
Constitution of the State which amendment, in accordance with article 5
sixth of the amendments to the Constitution, was published in the 6
manner prescribed therein and continued to the present regular session 7
of the General Assembly, and which resolution is as follows: 8
"Resolved by this Assembly: 9
Section 1. That the following be proposed as an amendment to the 10
Constitution of the State, which, when approved and adopted in the 11
manner provided by the Constitution, shall, to all intents and purposes, 12
become a part thereof: 13 House Constitutional Resolution No. 59
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Section 7 of article sixth of the Constitution is amended to read as 14
follows: 15
Sec. 7. The general assembly may provide by law for voting in the 16
choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted on 17
at an election by qualified voters of the state who are unable to appear 18
at the polling place on the day of election because of absence from the 19
city or town of which they are inhabitants or because of sickness or 20
physical disability or because the tenets of their religion forbid secular 21
activity. The general assembly may further provide by law for voting in 22
person prior to the day of election in the choice of any officer to be 23
elected or upon any question to be voted on at an election by qualified 24
voters of the state. 25
Section 9 of article third of the Constitution is amended to read as 26
follows: 27
Sec. 9. At all elections for members of the general assembly the 28
presiding officers in the several towns shall [receive the votes of the 29
electors, and] count and declare [them] the votes of the electors in open 30
meeting. The presiding officers shall make and certify duplicate lists of 31
the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each. One list shall 32
be delivered within three days to the town clerk, and within ten days 33
after such meeting, the other shall be delivered [under seal] to the 34
secretary of the state. 35
Section 4 of article fourth of the Constitution is amended to read as 36
follows: 37
Sec. 4. [At the meetings of the electors in the respective towns held 38
quadrennially as herein provided for the election of state officers, the 39
presiding officers shall receive the votes and shall count and declare the 40
same in the presence of the electors] The votes at the election of state 41
officers shall be counted and declared in open meeting by the presiding 42
officers in the several towns. The presiding officers shall make and 43
certify duplicate lists of the persons voted for, and of the number of 44 House Constitutional Resolution No. 59
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votes for each. One list shall be delivered within three days to the town 45
clerk, and within ten days after such meeting, the other shall be 46
delivered [under seal] to the secretary of the state. The votes so delivered 47
shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the treasurer, secretary, 48
and comptroller, within the month of November. The vote for treasurer 49
shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the secretary and 50
comptroller only; the vote for secretary shall be counted, canvassed and 51
declared by the treasurer and comptroller only; and the vote for 52
comptroller shall be counted, canvassed and declared by the treasurer 53
and secretary only. A fair list of the persons and number of votes given 54
for each, together with the returns of the presiding officers, shall be, by 55
the treasurer, secretary and comptroller, made and laid before the 56
general assembly, then next to be held, on the first day of the session 57
thereof. In the election of governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary, 58
treasurer, comptroller and attorney general, the person found upon the 59
count by the treasurer, secretary and comptroller in the manner herein 60
provided, to be made and announced before December fifteenth of the 61
year of the election, to have received the greatest number of votes for 62
each of such offices, respectively, shall be elected thereto; provided, if 63
the election of any of them shall be contested as provided by statute, and 64
if such a contest shall proceed to final judgment, the person found by 65
the court to have received the greatest number of votes shall be elected. 66
If two or more persons shall be found upon the count of the treasurer, 67
secretary and comptroller to have received an equal and the greatest 68
number of votes for any of said offices, and the election is not contested, 69
the general assembly on the second day of its session shall hold a joint 70
convention of both houses, at which, without debate, a ballot shall be 71
taken to choose such officer from those persons who received such a 72
vote; and the balloting shall continue on that or subsequent days until 73
one of such persons is chosen by a majority vote of those present and 74
voting. The general assembly shall have power to enact laws regulating 75
and prescribing the order and manner of voting for such officers. The 76
general assembly shall by law prescribe the manner in which all 77
questions concerning the election of a governor or lieutenant-governor 78
shall be determined. 79 House Constitutional Resolution No. 59
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RESOLVED: That the foregoing proposed amendment to the 80
Constitution be continued to the next session of the General Assembly 81
elected at the general election to be held on November 3, 2020, and 82
published with the laws passed at the present session, or be presented 83
to the electors at the general election to be held on November 3, 2020, 84
whichever the case may be, according to article sixth of the amendments 85
to the Constitution. The designation of said proposed amendment to be 86
used on the ballots at such election shall be "Shall the Constitution of the 87
State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early 88
voting?"" 89
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS ASSEMBLY: That 90
the said amendment so proposed is approved and that it be presented 91
to the electors at the general election to be held on November 8, 2022.92
GAE Joint Favorable