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General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 180
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 409
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
SEN. HASKELL, 26th Dist.
AN ACT CONCERNING UNIVERSAL CIVIC DUTY VOTING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
That title 9 of the general statutes be amended to provide that (1) at 1
the 2024 state election and each state election thereafter, all qualified 2
electors shall either cast a ballot or provide a valid reason for not casting 3
a ballot, (2) following the 2024 state election and each state election 4
thereafter, (A) the Secretary of the State shall mail to all qualified electors 5
who did not cast a ballot at the most recent state election a form 6
inquiring as to why such elector did not cast a ballot, which form shall 7
advise that valid reasons for not casting a ballot include travel, illness, 8
conscientious objection or such other reason as the Secretary may 9
prescribe, and (B) failure to respond to such form with a valid reason 10
shall result in a fine of twenty dollars paid to the Office of the Secretary 11
of the State, which fine shall (i) not be increased through penalty fees or 12
accrued interest, (ii) not be the basis for criminal enforcement or denial 13
of government services or benefits, and (iii) be directed to the State 14
Elections Enforcement Commission for deposit in the Citizens' Election 15 Proposed Bill No. 180
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Fund, except that an elector may perform two hours of community 16
service for a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization if such elector is 17
unable to pay such fine, (3) one month prior to the 2024 state election, 18
the Secretary of the State shall mail to all qualified electors a notice that 19
(A) explains the changes that will take effect beginning at the 2024 state 20
election, as described herein, and (B) includes a statement that each 21
qualified elector will be required to either cast a ballot, with the option 22
to leave such ballot blank, or provide a valid reason for not casting a 23
ballot, (4) at the 2022 state election and each state election thereafter, 24
each ballot shall include in sufficiently large type a statement advising 25
electors that they may leave any portion or the entirety of such ballot 26
blank, and (5) not later than January 1, 2025, the Secretary of the State 27
shall report on the implementation of such changes, as described herein, 28
at the 2024 state election to the joint standing committee of the General 29
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to elections. 30
Statement of Purpose:
To make several changes designed to institute universal civic duty
voting.