Connecticut House Bill HB05498 Introduced / Bill

                       
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 5498  
February Session, 2024 
LCO No. 2811 
 
 
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION 
AND ELECTIONS  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(GAE)  
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTION SECURITY AND TRANSPARENCY 
AND VARIOUS OTHER REVISIONS RELATED TO ELECTION 
ADMINISTRATION. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 9-140b of the 2024 supplement to 1 
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2 
thereof (Effective from passage): 3 
(c) (1) For purposes of this section, "mailed" means (A) sent by the 4 
United States Postal Service or any commercial carrier, courier or 5 
messenger service recognized and approved by the Secretary of the 6 
State, or (B) deposited in a secure drop box designated by the municipal 7 
clerk for such purpose, in accordance with instructions prescribed by 8 
the Secretary. 9 
(2) (A) In the case of absentee ballots mailed under subparagraph (B) 10 
of subdivision (1) of this subsection, beginning on the first day of 11 
issuance of absentee voting sets, as provided in subsection (f) of section 12 
9-140, and on each weekday thereafter until the close of the polls at the 13  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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election, primary or referendum, the municipal clerk shall retrieve from 14 
the secure drop box described in said subparagraph each such ballot 15 
deposited in such drop box. 16 
(B) On and after July 1, 2025, each municipality shall provide a video 17 
recording device for each secure drop box described in subparagraph 18 
(B) of subdivision (1) of this subsection within such municipality, which 19 
device's recordings shall capture the location of such drop box and 20 
evidence the date and time of each such recording beginning on the 21 
thirtieth day preceding an election or primary until the last retrieval of 22 
absentee ballots from such drop box at the close of the polls at such 23 
election or primary. Each such recording shall immediately be made 24 
publicly available from the date of recording, but in no case later than 25 
five days after such last retrieval. Each such recording shall be retained 26 
by the municipality for a period of twelve months and may be destroyed 27 
at the end of such period, except that such period may be extended as 28 
necessary in response to a pending investigation or an order of the State 29 
Elections Enforcement Commission or a court of competent jurisdiction. 30 
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 9-140c of the 2024 supplement to the 31 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 32 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 33 
(a) (1) The municipal clerk shall retain the envelopes containing 34 
absentee ballots received by him under section 9-140b, as amended by 35 
this act, and shall not open such envelopes. The municipal clerk shall 36 
endorse over his signature, upon each outer envelope as he receives it, 37 
(A) the date and precise time of its receipt, and (B) the method of its 38 
receipt, in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (2) of this 39 
subsection. The clerk shall make an affidavit attesting to the accuracy of 40 
all such endorsements, and at the close of the polls shall deliver such 41 
affidavit to the head moderator, who shall endorse the time of its receipt 42 
and return it to the clerk after all counting is complete. The clerk shall 43 
preserve the affidavit for one hundred eighty days in accordance with 44 
the requirements of section 9-150b. The clerk shall keep a list of the 45 
names of the applicants who return absentee ballots to the clerk under 46  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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section 9-140b, as amended by this act. The list shall be preserved as a 47 
public record as required by section 9-150b. 48 
(2) The municipal clerk shall record on the outer envelope of each 49 
absentee ballot returned under section 9-140b, as amended by this act, 50 
whether such ballot was (A) sent by the United States Postal Service or 51 
any commercial carrier, courier or messenger service, (B) deposited in a 52 
secure drop box, in which case the location of such drop box shall also 53 
be so recorded, (C) returned in person by an elector, or (D) returned in 54 
person by the designee or immediate family member of an elector. 55 
Immediately at the close of the polls at an election or primary, the 56 
municipal clerk shall submit to the Secretary of the State a report 57 
detailing the total count of all absentee ballots returned for such election 58 
or primary, broken down by each method described in subparagraphs 59 
(A) to (D), inclusive, of this subdivision. 60 
Sec. 3. Section 9-153b of the general statutes is repealed and the 61 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 62 
(a) If any absentee ballot applicant applies for an additional absentee 63 
ballot, [he] such applicant shall note on [his] the application the reason 64 
for [his] applying for an additional absentee ballot and [he] shall return 65 
the absentee voting set formerly issued to [him] such applicant before 66 
another set is issued, [to him, provided, if he] provided, if such applicant 67 
is unable to return [the set formerly issued to him, his] such formerly 68 
issued set, such application for an additional ballot shall be 69 
accompanied by a statement signed under the penalties of false 70 
statement in absentee balloting in which [he] such applicant shall [set 71 
forth] note the reason for [his] such applicant's inability to return [the 72 
set] such formerly issued [to him. If he] set. If such applicant fails to file 73 
such a statement, no additional set shall be issued to [him] such 74 
applicant. An application for an additional absentee ballot shall only be 75 
made by an absentee ballot applicant. Any additional absentee voting 76 
set issued under this subsection shall only be either provided in person 77 
to the applicant or mailed directly to the applicant at the bona fide 78 
mailing address designated by such applicant. 79  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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(b) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section for members 80 
of the armed forces, the municipal clerk shall mark the serially-81 
numbered outer envelope "rejected" and note the reasons therefor on all 82 
absentee ballots and envelopes so returned [to him] and shall seal such 83 
unopened ballots in a package and retain them in a safe place until 84 
delivered in accordance with section 9-140c, as amended by this act. The 85 
municipal clerk shall keep a list of the names of each absentee ballot 86 
applicant who has applied for more than one absentee ballot, as 87 
provided in section 9-140, as amended by this act, together with the 88 
serial number appearing on the outer envelope of each absentee voting 89 
set issued to each such applicant including the latest one issued. 90 
(c) When an absentee ballot applicant has applied for more than one 91 
absentee ballot, only the latest absentee ballot issued to [him] such 92 
applicant by the municipal clerk as determined by the serial number 93 
appearing on the outer envelope may be counted and all absentee 94 
ballots and envelopes formerly issued to that applicant shall be marked 95 
rejected as provided in subsection (b) of this section and not counted. 96 
(d) Subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this section shall not apply to 97 
members of the armed forces, and if more than one absentee ballot is 98 
received from any elector who is a member of the armed forces, the 99 
ballot of such elector bearing the latest postmark shall be counted if no 100 
absentee ballot of such elector has already been counted, provided that 101 
the municipal clerk shall mark all serially-numbered outer envelopes 102 
bearing earlier postmarks "rejected" and note the reasons for rejection 103 
and shall deliver such ballots in accordance with section 9-140c, as 104 
amended by this act.  105 
Sec. 4. Section 9-364a of the general statutes is repealed and the 106 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 107 
Any person who influences or attempts to influence by force or threat 108 
the vote, or by force, threat, bribery or corrupt means, the speech, of any 109 
person in a primary, caucus, referendum convention or election; [or] any 110 
person who wilfully and fraudulently suppresses or destroys any vote 111  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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or ballot properly given or cast, whether so given or cast by mail, by 112 
deposit in a secure drop box or in person at a polling place or designated 113 
early voting or same-day election registration location, or, in counting 114 
such votes or ballots, wilfully miscounts or misrepresents the number 115 
thereof; and any presiding or other officer of a primary, caucus or 116 
convention who wilfully announces the result of a ballot or vote of such 117 
primary, caucus or convention, untruly and wrongfully, shall be guilty 118 
of a class C felony.  119 
Sec. 5. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-139a of the general statutes 120 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 121 
January 1, 2025): 122 
(a) The Secretary of the State shall prescribe and furnish the following 123 
materials to municipal clerks: The absentee ballot facsimile, the 124 
application for absentee ballot designated for use at each election or 125 
primary, the inner envelope, the outer envelope provided for the return 126 
of the ballot to the municipal clerk, the instructions for the use of the 127 
absentee ballot and the envelope for mailing of such forms by the clerk 128 
to the absentee ballot applicant. 129 
(b) The application for absentee ballot shall be in the form of a 130 
statement signed under the penalties of false statement in absentee 131 
balloting. Each application shall contain (1) spaces for the signature 132 
under the penalties of false statement in absentee balloting of any person 133 
who assists the applicant in the completion of an application together 134 
with the information required in section 9-140, as amended by this act, 135 
[and] (2) spaces for the signature and the printed or typed name of the 136 
applicant, and (3) a clear and conspicuous notation of the year for which 137 
such application's use is authorized. 138 
Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 9-140 of the 2024 supplement to the 139 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 140 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 141 
(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, application 142 
for an absentee ballot shall be made to the clerk of the municipality in 143  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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which the applicant is eligible to vote or has applied for such eligibility. 144 
Any person who assists another person in the completion of an 145 
application shall, in the space provided, sign the application and print 146 
or type his name, residence address and telephone number. Such 147 
signature shall be made under the penalties of false statement in 148 
absentee balloting. The municipal clerk shall not invalidate the 149 
application solely because it does not contain the name of a person who 150 
assisted the applicant in the completion of the application. The 151 
municipal clerk shall not distribute with an absentee ballot application 152 
any material which promotes the success or defeat of any candidate or 153 
referendum question. The municipal clerk shall maintain a log of all 154 
absentee ballot applications provided under this subsection, including 155 
the name and address of each person to whom applications are 156 
provided and the number of applications provided to each such person. 157 
Each absentee ballot application provided by the municipal clerk shall 158 
be consecutively numbered and be stamped or marked with the name 159 
of the municipality issuing the application. The application shall be 160 
signed by the applicant under the penalties of false statement in 161 
absentee balloting on (A) the form prescribed by the Secretary of the 162 
State pursuant to section 9-139a, as amended by this act, (B) a form 163 
provided by any federal department or agency if applicable pursuant to 164 
section 9-153a, or (C) any of the special forms of application prescribed 165 
pursuant to section 9-150c, 9-153a, 9-153b, as amended by this act, 9-166 
153d, 9-153e, 9-153f or 9-158d, if applicable. Any such absentee ballot 167 
applicant who is unable to write may cause the application to be 168 
completed by an authorized agent who shall, in the spaces provided for 169 
the date and signature, write the date and name of the absentee ballot 170 
applicant followed by the word "by" and his own signature. If the ballot 171 
is to be mailed to the applicant, the applicant shall list the bona fide 172 
personal mailing address of the applicant in the appropriate space on 173 
the application. 174 
(2) A municipal clerk may transmit an application to a person under 175 
this subsection by facsimile machine or other electronic means, if so 176 
requested by the applicant. If a municipal clerk has a facsimile machine 177  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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or other electronic means, an applicant may return a completed 178 
application to the clerk by such a machine or device, provided the 179 
applicant shall also mail the original of the completed application to the 180 
clerk, either separately or with the absentee ballot that is issued to the 181 
applicant. If the clerk does not receive such original application by the 182 
close of the polls on the day of the election, primary or referendum, the 183 
absentee ballot shall not be counted. 184 
(3) No municipal clerk shall provide, for an election, primary or 185 
referendum, more than five absentee ballot applications at a time to any 186 
person earlier than ninety days prior to the first day of issuance of 187 
absentee voting sets, as provided in subsection (f) of section 9-140, for 188 
such election, primary or referendum. 189 
(4) No municipal clerk shall provide or accept for return, and no 190 
person shall distribute or otherwise use, any absentee ballot application 191 
in a given year unless such application contains the notation described 192 
in subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of section 9-139a, as amended by this 193 
act, authorizing such application's use in such year. 194 
Sec. 7. Section 9-50c of the general statutes is repealed and the 195 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 196 
(a) The Secretary of the State may enter into an agreement to share 197 
information or data with any other state in order to maintain the state-198 
wide centralized voter registration system established pursuant to 199 
section 9-50b, as amended by this act. If an agency of this state, another 200 
state or the federal government provides the Secretary with information 201 
or data to be used to maintain such system, the Secretary shall not use 202 
such information or data for any purpose except to maintain such 203 
system and shall ensure that such information or data is held 204 
confidential, [if such information or data, while in the possession of such 205 
other agency or state or federal government, as applicable, was required 206 
to be held confidential,] except as provided for in subsection (b) of this 207 
section. 208 
(b) The Secretary of the State may provide such information or data 209  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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to a nonpartisan third-party vendor for the purpose of maintaining the 210 
state-wide centralized voter registration system established pursuant to 211 
section 9-50b, as amended by this act, provided such vendor's activities 212 
are performed under the supervision of the Secretary and such vendor 213 
has entered into an agreement to protect the confidentiality of such 214 
information or data. 215 
Sec. 8. Section 9-50b of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes is 216 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 217 
2024): 218 
(a) As used in this section, "state-wide centralized voter registration 219 
system" means a computerized system designed and maintained by the 220 
Secretary of the State which includes: (1) Voter registration information 221 
prescribed by the Secretary, (2) information contained in applications 222 
for admission as electors described in section 9-20, (3) information 223 
needed to compile registry lists and enrollment lists under sections 9-35 224 
and 9-54, (4) information required by section 9-50a, and (5) other 225 
information for use in complying with the provisions of this title. 226 
(b) Not later than July 1, 2003, each registrar of voters shall transmit 227 
to the office of the Secretary of the State all elector information required 228 
by the office to complete the state-wide centralized voter registration 229 
system. Each registrar shall transmit such information in a format 230 
prescribed by the Secretary. Not later than September 1, 2003, each 231 
registrar of voters shall participate in the state-wide centralized voter 232 
registration system in the manner prescribed by the Secretary. On and 233 
after July 1, 2024, each town clerk shall utilize the state-wide centralized 234 
voter registration system whenever carrying out any provision of this 235 
title involving the checking of absentee ballot applications or returned 236 
absentee ballots against any active or inactive registry list or enrollment 237 
list. 238 
(c) Not later than sixty days after each election or primary, the 239 
registrars of voters shall update the state-wide centralized voter 240 
registration system and indicate whether the eligible voters on the 241  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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official registry list for such election or primary voted and, if so, if they 242 
voted in person on the day of such election or primary, in person during 243 
the period of early voting at such election or primary or by absentee 244 
ballot. 245 
Sec. 9. Section 9-50d of the general statutes is repealed and the 246 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 247 
(a) (1) Whenever voter registration information maintained under 248 
this title by the Secretary of the State or any registrar of voters is 249 
provided pursuant to any provision of the general statutes, disclosure 250 
of a voter's date of birth shall be limited to only the month and year of 251 
birth, unless such voter registration information is requested and used 252 
for a governmental purpose, as determined by the Secretary, in which 253 
case the voter's complete date of birth shall be provided. As used in this 254 
section, a governmental purpose shall include, but not be limited to, jury 255 
administration. 256 
(2) Voter registration information described in subdivision (1) of this 257 
subsection (A) may only be used for election-related, scholarly, 258 
journalistic, political or governmental purposes, as determined by the 259 
Secretary of the State, and (B) shall not be used for any personal, private 260 
or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, (i) harassment of 261 
any voter or voter's household, (ii) advertising, solicitation, sale or 262 
marketing of products or services to any voter or voter's household, and 263 
(iii) reproduction of such information in print, broadcast visual or audio 264 
or display on the Internet or any computer terminal. 265 
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any motor 266 
vehicle operator's license number, identity card number or Social 267 
Security number on a voter registration record shall be confidential and 268 
shall not be disclosed to any person. 269 
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, if a voter 270 
submits to the Secretary of the State a signed statement that 271 
nondisclosure of such voter's name from the official registry list is 272 
necessary for the safety of such voter or the voter's family, the name and 273  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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address of such voter on his or her voter registration record shall be 274 
confidential and shall not be disclosed, except that an election, primary 275 
or referendum official may view such information on the official registry 276 
list when such list is used by any such official at a polling place on the 277 
day of an election, primary or referendum. Such signed statement shall 278 
be sworn under penalty of false statement, as provided in section 53a-279 
157b. 280 
Sec. 10. Subsection (h) of section 9-163aa of the 2024 supplement to 281 
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 282 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 283 
(h) (1) No person shall solicit on behalf of or in opposition to any 284 
candidate or on behalf of or in opposition to any question being 285 
submitted at the election or primary, or loiter or peddle or offer any 286 
advertising matter, ballot or circular to another person within a radius 287 
of seventy-five feet of any outside entrance in use as an entry to any 288 
location designated by the registrars of voters for early voting or in any 289 
corridor, passageway or other approach leading from any such outside 290 
entrance to any such location or in any room opening upon any such 291 
corridor, passageway or approach. 292 
(2) Except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, no person 293 
shall be allowed within any location designated by the registrars of 294 
voters for early voting for any purpose other than casting such person's 295 
vote, except (A) primary officials under section 9-436, (B) election 296 
officials under section 9-258, including (i) a municipal clerk or registrar 297 
of voters, who is a candidate for the same office, and (ii) a deputy 298 
registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the office of registrar of voters, 299 
performing such official's duties, and (C) party checkers under section 300 
9-235. 301 
[(2)] (3) A person, including any candidate or any campaign or party 302 
employee or volunteer, may be within [such] the seventy-five-foot 303 
radius [of seventy-five feet] described in subdivision (1) of this 304 
subsection (A) only for purposes related to the performance of such 305  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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person's official duties or to the conduct of government business within 306 
such radius, (B) only for as long as necessary to perform such duties or 307 
conduct such business, and (C) provided such person is not engaged in 308 
any conduct described in subdivision (1) of this subsection. 309 
Sec. 11. Subsection (j) of section 9-19j of the 2024 supplement to the 310 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 311 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 312 
(j) (1) No person shall solicit on behalf of or in opposition to any 313 
candidate or on behalf of or in opposition to any question being 314 
submitted at the election, or loiter or peddle or offer any advertising 315 
matter, ballot or circular to another person within a radius of seventy-316 
five feet of any outside entrance in use as an entry to any location 317 
designated by the registrars of voters for same-day election registration 318 
balloting or in any corridor, passageway or other approach leading from 319 
any such outside entrance to any such location or in any room opening 320 
upon any such corridor, passageway or approach. 321 
(2) Except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, no person 322 
shall be allowed within any location designated by the registrars of 323 
voters for same-day election registration balloting for any purpose other 324 
than casting such person's vote, except (A) primary officials under 325 
section 9-436, (B) election officials under section 9-258, including (i) a 326 
municipal clerk or registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the same 327 
office, and (ii) a deputy registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the 328 
office of registrar of voters, performing such official's duties, and (C) 329 
party checkers under section 9-235. 330 
[(2)] (3) A person, including any candidate or any campaign or party 331 
employee or volunteer, may be within [such] the seventy-five-foot 332 
radius [of seventy-five feet] described in subdivision (1) of this 333 
subsection (A) only for purposes related to the performance of such 334 
person's official duties or to the conduct of government business within 335 
such radius, (B) only for as long as necessary to perform such duties or 336 
conduct such business, and (C) provided such person is not engaged in 337  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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any conduct described in subdivision (1) of this subsection. 338 
Sec. 12. Section 9-147a of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 339 
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 340 
1, 2024): 341 
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, at any election, 342 
primary or referendum, all absentee ballots shall, within existing 343 
resources, be counted in the manner provided in section 9-150a at a 344 
central location designated by the registrars of voters in writing to the 345 
municipal clerk at least twenty days before the election, primary or 346 
referendum, which location shall be published in the warning for the 347 
election, primary or referendum. Except as provided in subsection (b) of 348 
this section, if unaffiliated electors are authorized under section 9-431 to 349 
vote in the primary of either of two parties, all absentee ballots shall be 350 
separated, counted, tallied and placed in depository envelopes by 351 
voting district. Any member of the public may observe the counting of 352 
absentee ballots at such central location, provided no candidate for 353 
election or nomination shall be allowed within such central location 354 
during such counting, except (1) a municipal clerk or registrar of voters, 355 
who is a candidate for the same office, and (2) a deputy registrar of 356 
voters, who is a candidate for the office of registrar of voters, performing 357 
such official's duties. 358 
(b) At any election, primary or referendum, all absentee ballots may 359 
be counted in the manner provided in section 9-150a in the respective 360 
polling places if the registrars of voters agree that such absentee ballots 361 
should be so counted. If unaffiliated electors are authorized under 362 
section 9-431 to vote in the primary of either of two parties, absentee 363 
ballots may be counted in the respective polling places if the parties 364 
agree that such absentee ballots should be so counted. Any election 365 
official serving in a polling place may observe the counting of absentee 366 
ballots at such polling place, provided no candidate for election or 367 
nomination shall be allowed within such polling place during such 368 
counting, except (1) a municipal clerk or registrar of voters, who is a 369 
candidate for the same office, and (2) a deputy registrar of voters, who 370  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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is a candidate for the office of registrar of voters, performing such 371 
official's duties. 372 
Sec. 13. Section 9-453e of the general statutes is repealed and the 373 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 374 
Each circulator of a nominating petition page shall be a United States 375 
citizen [,] and at least eighteen years of age, [and a resident of a town in 376 
this state] and shall not be on parole for conviction of a felony. Any 377 
individual proposed as a candidate in any nominating petition may 378 
serve as circulator of the pages of such nominating petition. 379 
Sec. 14. Section 9-453j of the general statutes is repealed and the 380 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 381 
Each page of a nominating petition submitted to the town clerk or 382 
[the] Secretary of the State and filed with the Secretary of the State under 383 
the provisions of sections 9-453a to 9-453s, inclusive, or section 9-216 384 
shall contain a statement as to the residency [in this state] and eligibility 385 
of the circulator and as to the authenticity of the signatures thereon, 386 
signed under [penalties] penalty of false statement, by the person who 387 
circulated the same. Such statement shall set forth (1) [such] the 388 
circulator's residence address, including the town [in this state] in which 389 
[such] the circulator is a resident, (2) if the circulator is not a resident in 390 
this state, that the circulator agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of this 391 
state in any case or controversy arising out of or related to the circulation 392 
of a petition pursuant to this subpart, (3) the circulator's date of birth 393 
and that the circulator is at least eighteen years of age, [(3)] (4) that the 394 
circulator is a United States citizen and not on parole for conviction of a 395 
felony, and [(4)] (5) that each person whose name appears on such page 396 
signed the same in person in the presence of [such] the circulator and 397 
that either the circulator knows each such signer or that the signer 398 
satisfactorily identified [himself] such signer to the circulator. Any false 399 
statement committed with respect to such statement shall be deemed to 400 
have been committed in the town in which the petition was circulated. 401 
Sec. 15. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-453k of the general statutes 402  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 403 
1, 2024): 404 
(a) The town clerk or Secretary of the State shall not accept any page 405 
of a nominating petition unless the circulator thereof has signed before 406 
[him] the clerk or Secretary, or an appropriate person as provided in 407 
section 1-29, the statement as to the residency [in this state] and 408 
eligibility of the circulator and as to the authenticity of the signatures 409 
thereon required by section 9-453j, as amended by this act. 410 
(b) The town clerk or Secretary of the State, or an appropriate person 411 
as provided in section 1-29, shall certify on each such page that the 412 
circulator thereof signed such statement in [his] the presence of the 413 
clerk, Secretary or appropriate person, as applicable, and that either [he] 414 
the clerk, Secretary or appropriate person, as applicable, knows the 415 
circulator or that the circulator satisfactorily identified [himself] such 416 
circulator to the individual so certifying. 417 
Sec. 16. Section 9-453o of the general statutes is repealed and the 418 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 419 
(a) The Secretary of the State may not count, for purposes of 420 
determining compliance with the number of signatures required by 421 
section 9-453d, the signatures certified by the town clerk on any petition 422 
page filed under sections 9-453a to 9-453s, inclusive, or 9-216 if: (1) The 423 
name of the candidate, [his] such candidate's address or the party 424 
designation, if any, has been omitted from the face of the petition; (2) the 425 
page does not contain a statement by the circulator as to the residency 426 
[in this state] and eligibility of the circulator and as to the authenticity 427 
of the signatures thereon as required by section 9-453j, as amended by 428 
this act, or upon which such statement of the circulator is incomplete in 429 
any respect; or (3) the page does not contain the certifications required 430 
by sections 9-453a to 9-453s, inclusive, by the town clerk of the town in 431 
which the signers reside. The town clerk shall cure any omission on [his] 432 
the clerk's part by signing any such page at the office of the Secretary of 433 
the State and making the necessary amendment or by filing a separate 434  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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statement in this regard, which amendment shall be dated. 435 
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Secretary of 436 
the State shall approve [every] each nominating petition which contains 437 
sufficient signatures counted and certified on approved pages by the 438 
town clerks. In the case of a candidate who petitions under a reserved 439 
party designation the Secretary shall approve the petition only if it 440 
meets the signature requirement and if a statement endorsing such 441 
candidate is filed with the Secretary by the party designation committee 442 
not later than four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-second day before the 443 
election. In the case of a candidate who petitions under a party 444 
designation which is the same as the name of a minor party the Secretary 445 
shall approve the petition only if it meets the signature requirement and 446 
if a statement endorsing such candidate is filed in the office of the 447 
Secretary by the chairman or secretary of such minor party not later than 448 
four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-second day before the election. No 449 
candidate shall be qualified to appear on any ballot by nominating 450 
petition unless the candidate's petition is approved by the Secretary 451 
pursuant to this subsection. 452 
(c) The Secretary of the State may approve a nominating petition 453 
received under section 9-453k, as amended by this act, at any time 454 
except such approval shall be withdrawn if sufficient signatures are 455 
withdrawn under section 9-453h.  456 
Sec. 17. Subsections (c) and (d) of section 9-404b of the general statutes 457 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 458 
1, 2024): 459 
(c) The names of enrolled party members signing a primary petition 460 
may be on several pages, provided no person shall sign more than one 461 
petition page for the same candidate or candidates. Any person who 462 
signs a name other than the person's own to a primary petition filed 463 
under the provisions of this section or who signs a name other than the 464 
person's own as circulator of such petition shall be fined not more than 465 
one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. 466  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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Each such page shall indicate the candidate or candidates supported, 467 
the offices sought and the political party for which nomination is being 468 
sought. No page of such a petition shall contain the names of enrolled 469 
party members residing in different municipalities and any petition 470 
page that has been certified by the registrars of voters of two or more 471 
municipalities shall be rejected by the Secretary. Withdrawal of petition 472 
signatures shall not be permitted. 473 
(d) [Each] Any person qualified to vote under the laws of any state or 474 
territory of the United States may be a circulator of a primary petition 475 
page [shall be] if such person (1) is an enrolled party member of a 476 
municipality in this state, [. Each] or (2) agrees to submit to the 477 
jurisdiction of this state in any case or controversy arising out of or 478 
related to the circulation of a primary petition. For any circulator 479 
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, each petition page shall 480 
contain a statement signed by the registrar of voters of the municipality 481 
in which the circulator is an enrolled party member attesting that the 482 
circulator is an enrolled party member in the municipality. For any 483 
circulator described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, each petition 484 
page shall contain a statement signed by the circulator that the circulator 485 
agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of this state in any case or 486 
controversy arising out of or related to the circulation of a primary 487 
petition, which signed statement shall be attested to by the registrar of 488 
voters of the municipality in which such page was circulated. Unless 489 
such [a] an attested statement by the registrar of voters appears on each 490 
page so submitted, the Secretary shall reject the page. Each separate 491 
page of the petition shall contain a statement as to the authenticity of the 492 
signatures on the page and the number of such signatures, and shall be 493 
signed under the [penalties] penalty of false statement by the person 494 
who circulated the page, setting forth the circulator's address and the 495 
town in which the circulator is an enrolled party member and attesting 496 
that each person whose name appears on the page signed the petition in 497 
person in the presence of the circulator, that the circulator either knows 498 
each such signer or that the signer satisfactorily identified [himself or 499 
herself] such signer to the circulator and that the spaces for candidates 500  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	17 of 48 
 
supported, offices sought and the political party involved were filled in 501 
prior to the obtaining of the signatures. Each separate page of the 502 
petition shall also be acknowledged before an appropriate person as 503 
provided in section 1-29. The Secretary shall reject any page of a petition 504 
filed with the Secretary which does not contain such a statement by the 505 
circulator as to the authenticity of the signatures on the page, or upon 506 
which the statement of the circulator is incomplete in any respect, or 507 
which does not contain the [certification] attested statement required 508 
under this section by the registrar of voters of the town in which the 509 
circulator is an enrolled party member or in which the page was 510 
circulated. Any individual proposed as a candidate in any primary 511 
petition may serve as a circulator of the pages of the petition, provided 512 
the individual's service as circulator does not violate any provision of 513 
this section.  514 
Sec. 18. Section 9-410 of the general statutes is repealed and the 515 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 516 
(a) The petition form for candidacies for nomination to municipal 517 
office or for election as members of town committees shall be prescribed 518 
by the Secretary of the State and provided by the registrar of voters of 519 
the municipality in which the candidacy is to be filed or duplicate 520 
petition pages shall be produced in accordance with section 9-409, and 521 
signatures shall be obtained only on such forms or such duplicate 522 
petition pages. Such form shall include, at the top of the form and in 523 
bold print, the following: 524 
WARNING 525 
IT IS A CRIME TO SIGN THIS PETITION 526 
IN THE NAME OF ANOTHER PERSON 527 
WITHOUT LEGAL AUTHORITY TO DO SO 528 
AND YOU MAY NOT SIGN THIS PETITION 529 
IF YOU ARE NOT AN ELECTOR. 530  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
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The form shall include thereon a statement of instructions to persons 531 
using the form and shall indicate the date and time by which it shall be 532 
filed and the person with whom it shall be filed. The form shall provide 533 
spaces for the names and addresses of the candidates, the offices to 534 
which nomination is sought or the positions to which election is sought 535 
and the political party holding the primary, and shall provide lines for 536 
the signatures, street addresses, dates of birth and the printing of the 537 
names of enrolled party members supporting the person or persons on 538 
behalf of whose candidacy the petition is used. Only as many candidates 539 
may be proposed in any one primary petition for the same office or 540 
position as are to be nominated or chosen by such party for such office 541 
or position; but any one primary petition may propose as many 542 
candidates for different offices or positions as there are nominations to 543 
be made or positions to be filled. 544 
(b) The names of enrolled party members signing a primary petition 545 
need not all be on one sheet but may be on several sheets, but no person 546 
shall sign more than one petition page for the same candidate or 547 
candidates. Any person who signs a name other than the person's own 548 
to a primary petition filed under the provisions of this section or who 549 
signs a name other than the person's own as circulator of such a petition 550 
shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not 551 
more than one year or both. Each such sheet shall indicate the candidate 552 
or candidates supported, the offices or positions sought and the political 553 
party the nomination of which is sought or which is holding the primary 554 
for election of town committee members. No page of such a petition 555 
shall contain the names of enrolled party members residing in different 556 
municipalities and any page thereof which has been certified by the 557 
registrars of voters of two or more municipalities shall be rejected by the 558 
registrar of voters. Withdrawal of petition signatures shall not be 559 
permitted. 560 
(c) [Each] Any person qualified to vote under the laws of any state or 561 
territory of the United States may be a circulator of a primary petition 562 
page [shall be] if such person (1) is an enrolled party member of a 563 
municipality in this state, [who is entitled to vote. Each] or (2) agrees to 564  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	19 of 48 
 
submit to the jurisdiction of this state in any case or controversy arising 565 
out of or related to the circulation of a primary petition. For any 566 
circulator described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, each petition 567 
page shall contain a statement signed by the registrar of voters of the 568 
municipality in which such circulator is an enrolled party member 569 
attesting that the circulator is an enrolled party member in such 570 
municipality. For any circulator described in subdivision (2) of this 571 
subsection, each petition page shall contain a statement signed by the 572 
circulator that the circulator agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of this 573 
state in any case or controversy arising out of or related to the circulation 574 
of a primary petition, which signed statement shall be attested to by the 575 
registrar of voters of the municipality in which such page was 576 
circulated. Unless such [a] an attested statement by the registrar of 577 
voters appears on each page so submitted, the registrar of voters shall 578 
reject such page. No candidate for the nomination of a party for a 579 
municipal office or the position of town committee member shall 580 
circulate any petition for another candidate or another group of 581 
candidates contained in one primary petition for the nomination of such 582 
party for the same office or position, and any petition page circulated in 583 
violation of this provision shall be rejected by the registrar of voters. No 584 
person shall circulate petitions for more than the maximum number of 585 
candidates to be nominated by a party for the same office or position, 586 
and any petition page circulated in violation of this provision shall be 587 
rejected by the registrar of voters. Each separate sheet of such petition 588 
shall contain a statement as to the authenticity of the signatures thereon 589 
and the number of such signatures, and shall be signed under the 590 
[penalties] penalty of false statement by the person who circulated the 591 
same, setting forth such circulator's address and the town in which such 592 
circulator is an enrolled party member and attesting that each person 593 
whose name appears on such sheet signed the same in person in the 594 
presence of such circulator, that the circulator either knows each such 595 
signer or that the signer satisfactorily identified [the] such signer to the 596 
circulator and that the spaces for candidates supported, offices or 597 
positions sought and the political party involved were filled in prior to 598 
the obtaining of the signatures. Each separate sheet of such petition shall 599  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	20 of 48 
 
also be acknowledged before an appropriate person as provided in 600 
section 1-29. Any sheet of a petition filed with the registrar of voters 601 
which does not contain such a statement by the circulator as to the 602 
authenticity of the signatures thereon, or upon which the statement of 603 
the circulator is incomplete in any respect, or which does not contain the 604 
[certification hereinbefore required] attested statement required under 605 
this section by the registrar of voters of the town in which the circulator 606 
is an enrolled party member or in which the page was circulated, shall 607 
be rejected by the registrar of voters. Any individual proposed as a 608 
candidate in any primary petition may serve as a circulator of the pages 609 
of such petition, provided such individual's service as circulator does 610 
not violate any provision of this section. 611 
Sec. 19. Section 9-140e of the general statutes is repealed and the 612 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 613 
(a) Any elector who is permanently physically disabled or suffering 614 
from a long-term illness and who files an application for an absentee 615 
ballot with a certification from a primary care provider, indicating that 616 
such elector is permanently physically disabled or suffering from a long-617 
term illness and unable to appear in person at such elector's designated 618 
polling location, shall be eligible for permanent absentee ballot status 619 
and shall receive an absentee ballot for each election, primary or 620 
referendum conducted in such elector's municipality for which such 621 
elector is eligible to vote. Such elector's permanent absentee ballot status 622 
shall remain in effect until such elector: (1) Is removed from the official 623 
registry list of the municipality, (2) is removed from permanent absentee 624 
ballot status pursuant to the provisions of this section, or (3) requests 625 
that he or she no longer receive such permanent absentee ballot status. 626 
(b) The registrars of voters shall send written notice to each such 627 
elector with permanent absentee ballot status in January of each year, 628 
on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State, for the purpose of 629 
determining if such elector continues to reside at the address indicated 630 
on the elector's permanent absentee ballot application. If [(1)] such 631 
written notice is returned as undeliverable, [or (2) not later than sixty 632  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	21 of 48 
 
days after such notice is sent to the elector, the elector fails to return such 633 
notice to the registrars of voters, as directed on the form,] the elector in 634 
question shall be removed from permanent absentee ballot status. If 635 
such elector indicates on such notice that the elector no longer resides at 636 
such address and the elector's new address is within the same 637 
municipality, the registrars of voters shall change the elector's address 638 
pursuant to section 9-35 and such elector shall retain permanent 639 
absentee ballot status. If the elector indicates on such notice that the 640 
elector no longer resides in the municipality, the registrars of voters 641 
shall remove such individual from the registry list of the municipality 642 
and send such individual an application for voter registration. Failure 643 
to return such written notice shall not result in the removal of an elector 644 
from the official registry list of the municipality or from permanent 645 
absentee ballot status. 646 
Sec. 20. Subsection (a) of section 9-320f of the 2024 supplement to the 647 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 648 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 649 
(a) Not earlier than the [fifteenth] tenth day after any election or 650 
primary and not later than two business days before the canvass of votes 651 
by the Secretary of the State, Treasurer and Comptroller, for any federal 652 
or state election or primary, or by the town clerk for any municipal 653 
election or primary, the registrars of voters shall conduct a manual audit 654 
or, for an election or primary held on or after January 1, 2016, an 655 
electronic audit authorized under section 9-320g of the votes recorded 656 
in not less than five per cent of the voting districts in the state, district 657 
or municipality, whichever is applicable. For the purposes of this 658 
section, any central location used in a municipality for the counting of 659 
absentee ballots, early voting ballots or same-day election registration 660 
ballots shall be deemed a voting district. Such manual or electronic audit 661 
shall be noticed in advance and be open to public observation. Any 662 
election official who participates in the administration and conduct of 663 
an audit pursuant to this section shall be compensated by the 664 
municipality at the standard rate of pay established by such 665 
municipality for elections or primaries, as the case may be. 666  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	22 of 48 
 
Sec. 21. Section 9-460 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 667 
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 668 
1, 2024): 669 
If any party has nominated a candidate for office, or, on and after 670 
November 4, 1981, if a candidate has qualified to appear on any ballot 671 
by nominating petition under a reserved party designation, in 672 
accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and such nominee 673 
thereafter, but prior to forty-six days before the opening of the polls on 674 
the day of the election for which such nomination has been made, dies, 675 
withdraws such nominee's name or for any reason becomes disqualified 676 
to hold the office for which such nominee has been nominated, (1) such 677 
party or, on and after November 4, 1981, the party designation 678 
committee may make a nomination to fill such vacancy or provide for 679 
the making of such nomination as its rules prescribe, and (2) if another 680 
party that is qualified to nominate a candidate for such office does not 681 
have a nominee for such office, such party may also nominate a 682 
candidate for such office as its rules prescribe. No withdrawal, and no 683 
nomination to replace a candidate who has withdrawn, under this 684 
section shall be valid unless the candidate who has withdrawn has filed 685 
a letter of withdrawal signed by such candidate with the Secretary of the 686 
State in the case of a state or district office or the office of state senator 687 
or state representative from any district, or with the municipal clerk in 688 
the case of a municipal office other than state senator or state 689 
representative. A copy of such candidate's letter of withdrawal to the 690 
municipal clerk shall also be filed with the Secretary of the State. No 691 
nomination to fill a vacancy under this section shall be valid unless it is 692 
certified to the Secretary of the State in the case of a state or district office 693 
or the office of state senator or state representative from any district, or 694 
to the municipal clerk in the case of a municipal office other than state 695 
senator or state representative, by the organization or committee 696 
making such nomination, at least forty-two days before the opening of 697 
the polls on the day of the election, except as otherwise provided by this 698 
section. If a nominee dies within forty-six days before the election, but 699 
prior to twenty-four hours before the commencement of the period of 700  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	23 of 48 
 
early voting at the election for which such nomination has been made, 701 
the vacancy may be filled in the manner prescribed in this section by 702 
two o'clock p.m. of the day before the first day of such period of early 703 
voting with the municipal clerk or the Secretary of the State, as the case 704 
may be. If a nominee dies within twenty-four hours before the 705 
commencement of the period of early voting at the election and prior to 706 
the close of the polls on the day of the election for which such 707 
nomination has been made, such nominee shall not be replaced and the 708 
votes cast for such nominee shall be canvassed and counted, and if such 709 
nominee receives a plurality of the votes cast, a vacancy shall exist in the 710 
office for which the nomination was made. The vacancy shall then be 711 
filled in a manner prescribed by law. A copy of such certification to the 712 
municipal clerk shall also be filed with the Secretary of the State. Such 713 
nomination to fill a vacancy due to death or disqualification shall 714 
include a statement setting forth the reason for such vacancy. If at the 715 
time such nomination is certified to the Secretary of the State or to the 716 
municipal clerk, as the case may be, the ballots have already been 717 
printed, the Secretary of the State shall direct the municipal clerk in each 718 
municipality affected to (A) have the ballots reprinted with the 719 
nomination thus made included thereon, (B) cause printed stickers to be 720 
affixed to the ballots so that the name of any candidate who has died [, 721 
withdrawn or been disqualified] is deleted and the name of any 722 
candidate chosen to fill such vacancy appears in the same position as 723 
that in which the vacated candidacy appeared, or (C) cause [blank 724 
stickers to be so affixed] to be obscured the name of the candidate whose 725 
candidacy has been vacated if the vacancy is not filled. 726 
Sec. 22. Subsection (a) of section 9-437 of the general statutes is 727 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 728 
2024): 729 
(a) At the top of each ballot shall be printed the name of the party 730 
holding the primary, and each ballot shall contain the names of all 731 
candidates to be voted upon at such primary, except the names of 732 
justices of the peace. The vertical columns shall be headed by the 733 
designation of the office or position and instructions as to the number 734  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	24 of 48 
 
for which an elector may vote for such office or position, in the same 735 
manner as a ballot used in a regular election. The name of each 736 
candidate for town committee or municipal office, except for the 737 
municipal offices of state senator and state representative, shall appear 738 
on the ballot as authorized by each candidate. The name of each 739 
candidate for state or district office or for the municipal offices of state 740 
senator or state representative shall appear on the ballot as it appears on 741 
the certificate or statement of consent filed under section 9-388, 9-391, 9-742 
400 or 9-409. On the first horizontal line, below the designation of the 743 
office or position in each column, shall be placed the name of the party-744 
endorsed candidate for such office or position, such name to be marked 745 
with an asterisk; provided, where more than one person may be voted 746 
for any office or position, the names of the party-endorsed candidates 747 
shall be arranged in alphabetical order from left to right under the 748 
appropriate office or position designation and shall continue, if 749 
necessary, from left to right on the next lower line or lines. In the case of 750 
no party endorsement there shall be inserted the designation "no party 751 
endorsement" at the head of the vertical column, immediately beneath 752 
the designation of the office or position. On the horizontal lines below 753 
the line for party-endorsed candidates shall be placed, in the 754 
appropriate columns, the names of all other candidates as [hereinafter] 755 
provided in this section. 756 
Sec. 23. Subsection (g) of section 9-437 of the general statutes is 757 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 758 
2024): 759 
(g) The name of each candidate shall appear on the ballot in such 760 
position as is [hereinbefore] required in this section, and such position 761 
shall be determined as of the final time for filing candidacies specified 762 
in section 9-400 or 9-405. Vacancies in candidacies thereafter occurring 763 
shall not cause the position of any candidate's name on the ballot to be 764 
changed to another position. The name of any candidate whose 765 
candidacy has been vacated shall not appear on the ballot. If such a 766 
vacancy results in the cancellation of a primary for any office, the office 767 
column or columns where the names of the candidates and the title of 768  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	25 of 48 
 
the office would have appeared if the primary for that office had not 769 
been cancelled shall be left blank. If a vacancy occurs in a party-770 
endorsed candidacy and a person is chosen in accordance with section 771 
9-426 or 9-428, as amended by this act, to fill the resulting vacancy in 772 
candidacy, the name of the person so chosen shall appear in the same 773 
position as that in which the name of the vacating candidate appeared. 774 
The municipal clerk shall have the ballot prepared so that the name of 775 
any candidate who has vacated such candidate's candidacy is deleted 776 
and so that the name of any candidate chosen to fill a vacancy in 777 
candidacy appears in the same position as that in which the vacated 778 
candidacy appeared. The municipal clerk may use [blank or] printed 779 
stickers [, as the case may be,] in preparing the ballots if the ballots were 780 
printed before [the occurrence of the vacancy in candidacy or] the 781 
selection of a candidate to fill a vacancy in candidacy. The municipal 782 
clerk shall cause to be obscured the name of the candidate whose 783 
candidacy has been vacated if the vacancy is not filled. The order of the 784 
offices and positions shall be as prescribed by the Secretary of the State. 785 
Sec. 24. Section 9-428 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 786 
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 787 
1, 2024): 788 
(a) If a party-endorsed candidate for election to the position of town 789 
committee member, prior to twenty-four hours before the opening of 790 
the polls at the primary, dies or, prior to ten days before the day of such 791 
primary, withdraws his name from nomination or for any reason 792 
becomes disqualified to hold the position for which he is a candidate, 793 
the state central committee, the town committee or other authority of 794 
the party which endorsed such candidate may make an endorsement to 795 
fill such vacancy or provide for the making of such endorsement, in such 796 
manner as is prescribed in the rules of such party, and certify to the 797 
registrar and municipal clerk or to the Secretary of the State, as the case 798 
may be, the name of the person so endorsed. If such certification is made 799 
at least twenty-four hours prior to the opening of the polls at the 800 
primary, in the case of such an endorsement to replace a candidate who 801 
has died, or at least seven days before the day of such primary, in the 802  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	26 of 48 
 
case of such an endorsement to replace a candidate who has withdrawn 803 
or become disqualified, such person so endorsed shall run in the 804 
primary as the party-endorsed candidate, except as provided in sections 805 
9-416 and 9-417. If such certification of another party-endorsed 806 
candidate has been made within the time specified in this section, and if 807 
the ballots have already been printed and the names of the candidates 808 
for such position appear on the ballots, the Secretary of the State or the 809 
registrar, as the case may be, shall direct the clerk of each municipality 810 
holding such primary to have the ballots reprinted with the name of the 811 
person so certified included thereon; provided, in the case of such an 812 
endorsement to replace a candidate who has died, if such certification 813 
has been made less than ninety-six hours but at least twenty-four hours 814 
prior to the opening of the polls at the primary, such Secretary or 815 
registrar shall direct such clerk to have stickers printed and inserted 816 
upon the ballots, having the name of the person so certified appearing 817 
thereon, and the moderator in each polling place shall cause such 818 
stickers to be pasted on the ballots before the opening of the polls at such 819 
primary. If no such certification has been made, such clerk shall cause 820 
to be obscured the name of the candidate whose candidacy has been 821 
vacated. 822 
(b) If a party-endorsed candidate for nomination to an office, prior to 823 
twenty-four hours before the commencement of the period of early 824 
voting at the primary, dies or, prior to ten days before the first day of 825 
such period of early voting, withdraws his name from nomination or for 826 
any reason becomes disqualified to hold the office for which he is a 827 
candidate, the state central committee, the town committee or other 828 
authority of the party which endorsed such candidate may make an 829 
endorsement to fill such vacancy or provide for the making of such 830 
endorsement, in such manner as is prescribed in the rules of such party, 831 
and certify to the registrar and municipal clerk or to the Secretary of the 832 
State, as the case may be, the name of the person so endorsed. If such 833 
certification is made at least twenty-four hours prior to the 834 
commencement of the period of early voting at the primary, in the case 835 
of such an endorsement to replace a candidate who has died, or at least 836  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	27 of 48 
 
seven days before the first day of such period of early voting, in the case 837 
of such an endorsement to replace a candidate who has withdrawn or 838 
become disqualified, such person so endorsed shall run in the primary 839 
as the party-endorsed candidate, except as provided in sections 9-416 840 
and 9-417. If such certification of another party-endorsed candidate has 841 
been made within the time specified in this section, and if the ballots 842 
have already been printed and the names of the candidates for such 843 
office appear on the ballots, the Secretary of the State or the registrar, as 844 
the case may be, shall direct the clerk of each municipality holding such 845 
primary to have the ballots reprinted with the name of the person so 846 
certified included thereon; provided, in the case of such an endorsement 847 
to replace a candidate who has died, if such certification has been made 848 
less than ninety-six hours but at least twenty-four hours prior to the 849 
commencement of the period of early voting at the primary, such 850 
Secretary or registrar shall direct such clerk to have stickers printed and 851 
inserted upon the ballots, having the name of the person so certified 852 
appearing thereon, and the moderator in each polling place shall cause 853 
such stickers to be pasted on the ballots before the opening of the polls 854 
at such primary. If no such certification has been made, such clerk shall 855 
cause to be obscured the name of the candidate whose candidacy has 856 
been vacated. 857 
Sec. 25. Subsection (d) of section 9-135b of the general statutes is 858 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 859 
2024): 860 
(d) If a vacancy in candidacy occurs after the ballots have been 861 
printed, the clerk may either reprint the ballots or cause [blank or] 862 
printed stickers [, as the case may be,] to be affixed to them so that the 863 
name of any candidate who has vacated his candidacy is deleted and 864 
the name of any candidate chosen to fill the vacancy as provided in 865 
section 9-428, as amended by this act, or section 9-460, as amended by 866 
this act, appears in the same position as that in which the vacated 867 
candidacy appeared except as provided in section 9-426 or 9-453s. If no 868 
candidate is chosen to fill such vacancy as so provided, the clerk shall 869 
cause to be obscured the name of the candidate whose candidacy has 870  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	28 of 48 
 
been vacated. 871 
Sec. 26. Section 9-472 of the general statutes is repealed and the 872 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 873 
If, after determination of the order of candidates on the ballot, a 874 
candidate dies, his name shall not appear on such ballot; provided that 875 
the position of each remaining candidate on the ballot shall not be 876 
altered by the deletion of such name. The secretary may authorize [the 877 
use of] town clerks to use blank stickers on the ballot [by town clerks] or 878 
otherwise cause to be obscured the name of such deceased candidate in 879 
order to comply with the provisions of this section.  880 
Sec. 27. Section 9-453u of the general statutes is repealed and the 881 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2025): 882 
(a) An application to reserve a party designation with the Secretary 883 
of the State and to form a party designation committee may be made at 884 
any time after November 3, 1981, by filing [in the office of the secretary] 885 
with the Secretary a written statement signed by at least twenty-five 886 
electors who desire to be members of such committee. 887 
(b) The statement shall include the offices for which candidates may 888 
petition for nomination under the party designation to be reserved but 889 
shall not include an office if no elector who has signed the application is 890 
entitled to vote at an election for such office. 891 
(c) The statement shall include the party designation to be reserved 892 
which (1) shall consist of not more than three words and not more than 893 
twenty-five letters; (2) shall not incorporate the name of any major party; 894 
(3) shall not incorporate the name of any minor party which is entitled 895 
to nominate candidates for any office which will appear on the same 896 
ballot with any office included in the statement; (4) shall not be the same 897 
as any party designation for which a reservation with the [secretary] 898 
Secretary is currently in effect for any office included in the statement; 899 
and (5) shall not be the word "none", or incorporate the words 900 
"unaffiliated" or "unenrolled" or any similarly antonymous form of the 901  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	29 of 48 
 
words "affiliated" or "enrolled". 902 
(d) The statement shall include the names of two persons who are 903 
authorized by the party designation committee to execute and file with 904 
the [secretary] Secretary statements of endorsement required by section 905 
9-453o, as amended by this act, and certificates of nomination as 906 
required by section 9-460, as amended by this act. 907 
(e) The [secretary] Secretary shall examine the statement, and if it 908 
complies with the requirements of this section, the [secretary] Secretary 909 
shall reserve the party designation for the offices included in the 910 
statement and record such reservation in the office of the [secretary. 911 
The] Secretary of the State. Except as provided in subsection (f) of this 912 
section, the reservation shall continue in effect from the date it is 913 
recorded until the day following any regular election at which no 914 
candidate appears on the appropriate ballot for that office under that 915 
party designation. 916 
(f) Any party for which a reservation of a party designation has been 917 
recorded pursuant to this section prior to January 1, 2025, which party 918 
designation incorporates the words "unaffiliated", "unenrolled" or 919 
"independent", or any similarly antonymous form of the words 920 
"affiliated", "enrolled" or "dependent", shall apply to reserve a new party 921 
designation in accordance with the provisions of subsections (a) to (d), 922 
inclusive, of this section, and have reservation recorded, pursuant to 923 
subsection (e) of this section, before making any nomination on or after 924 
January 1, 2025. Any such party for which the reservation of a new party 925 
designation has been recorded pursuant to this subsection shall retain 926 
all rights earned under the previously recorded reservation, including, 927 
but not limited to, ballot access and cross-endorsement. 928 
Sec. 28. Section 9-324 of the general statutes is repealed and the 929 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and 930 
applicable to complaints brought on or after July 1, 2024): 931 
(a) Any elector or candidate who claims that such elector or candidate 932 
is aggrieved by any ruling of any election official in connection with any 933  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	30 of 48 
 
election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State 934 
Treasurer, Attorney General, State Comptroller or judge of probate, held 935 
in such elector's or candidate's town, or that there has been a mistake in 936 
the count of the votes cast at such election for candidates for said offices 937 
or any of them, at any voting district in such elector's or candidate's 938 
town, or any candidate for such an office who claims that such candidate 939 
is aggrieved by a violation of any provision of section 9-355, 9-357 to 9-940 
361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-365 in 941 
the casting of absentee ballots at such election or any candidate for the 942 
office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State 943 
Treasurer, Attorney General or State Comptroller, who claims that such 944 
candidate is aggrieved by a violation of any provision of sections 9-700 945 
to 9-716, inclusive, may bring such elector's or candidate's complaint [to 946 
any judge of the Superior Court, in which such] in the superior court for 947 
the judicial district of Hartford. Such elector or candidate shall set out in 948 
the complaint the claimed errors of such election official, the claimed 949 
errors in the count or the claimed violations of said sections. In any 950 
action brought pursuant to the provisions of this section, the 951 
complainant shall send a copy of the complaint by first-class mail, or 952 
deliver a copy of the complaint by hand, to the State Elections 953 
Enforcement Commission. If such complaint is made prior to such 954 
election, [such judge] the court shall proceed expeditiously to render 955 
judgment on the complaint and shall cause notice of the hearing to be 956 
given to the Secretary of the State and the State Elections Enforcement 957 
Commission. If such complaint is made subsequent to the election, it 958 
shall be brought not later than fourteen days after the election or, if such 959 
complaint is brought in response to the manual tabulation of paper 960 
ballots authorized pursuant to section 9-320f, as amended by this act, 961 
such complaint shall be brought not later than seven days after the close 962 
of any such manual tabulation. [and, in either such circumstance, such 963 
judge] 964 
(b) The court shall forthwith order a hearing to be [had] held upon 965 
[such] a complaint filed under subsection (a) of this section, upon a day 966 
not more than five nor less than three days from the making of such 967  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	31 of 48 
 
order, and shall cause notice of not less than three nor more than five 968 
days to be given to any candidate or candidates whose election may be 969 
affected by the decision upon such hearing, to such election official, the 970 
Secretary of the State, the State Elections Enforcement Commission and 971 
to any other party or parties whom [such judge] the court deems proper 972 
parties thereto, of the time and place for the hearing upon such 973 
complaint. [Such judge] The court shall, on the day fixed for such 974 
hearing and without unnecessary delay, proceed to hear the parties. If 975 
sufficient reason is shown, [such judge] the court may order any voting 976 
tabulators to be unlocked or any ballot boxes to be opened and a recount 977 
of the votes cast, including absentee ballots, to be made. [Such judge] 978 
The court shall thereupon, in case [such judge] the court finds any error 979 
in the rulings of the election official, any mistake in the count of the votes 980 
or any violation of [said sections] any provision of sections 9-355, 9-357 981 
to 9-361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-982 
365 or sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive, certify the result of [such 983 
judge's] the court's finding or decision to the Secretary of the State before 984 
the fifteenth day of the next succeeding December. [Such judge] The 985 
court may order a new election or a change in the existing election 986 
schedule. [Such certificate of such judge of such judge's] 987 
(c) The certificate of the court's finding or decision pursuant to 988 
subsection (b) of this section shall be final and conclusive upon all 989 
questions relating to errors in the rulings of such election officials, to the 990 
correctness of such count, and, for the purposes of this section only, such 991 
claimed violations, and shall operate to correct the returns of the 992 
moderators or presiding officers, so as to conform to such finding or 993 
decision, unless the same is appealed from as provided in section 9-325, 994 
as amended by this act.  995 
Sec. 29. Section 9-325 of the general statutes is repealed and the 996 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and 997 
applicable to complaints brought on or after July 1, 2024): 998 
If, upon any such hearing [by a judge of the Superior Court] in the 999 
superior court for the judicial district of Hartford, any question of law is 1000  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	32 of 48 
 
raised which any party to the complaint claims should be reviewed by 1001 
the Supreme Court, [such judge] the court, instead of filing the 1002 
certificate of [his] the court's finding or decision with the Secretary of 1003 
the State, shall transmit the same, including therein such questions of 1004 
law, together with a proper finding of facts, to the Chief Justice of the 1005 
Supreme Court, who shall thereupon call a special session of [said court] 1006 
the Supreme Court for the purpose of an immediate hearing upon the 1007 
questions of law so certified. A copy of the finding and decision so 1008 
certified by the judge of [the Superior Court] such superior court, 1009 
together with the decision of the Supreme Court, on the questions of law 1010 
therein certified, shall be attested by the clerk of the Supreme Court, and 1011 
by [him] such clerk transmitted to the Secretary of the State forthwith. 1012 
The finding and decision of [the judge of the Superior Court] such 1013 
superior court, together with the decision of the Supreme Court on the 1014 
questions of law thus certified, shall be final and conclusive upon all 1015 
questions relating to errors in the rulings of the election officials and to 1016 
the correctness of such count and shall operate to correct the returns of 1017 
the moderators or presiding officers so as to conform to such decision of 1018 
[said court] the Supreme Court. Nothing in this section shall be 1019 
considered as prohibiting an appeal to the Supreme Court from a final 1020 
judgment of [the Superior Court] such superior court. The judges of the 1021 
Supreme Court may establish rules of procedure for the speedy and 1022 
inexpensive hearing of such appeals within fifteen days of such 1023 
judgment of a judge of [the Superior Court] such superior court.  1024 
Sec. 30. Section 9-328 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1025 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and 1026 
applicable to complaints brought on or after July 1, 2024): 1027 
(a) Any elector or candidate claiming to have been aggrieved by any 1028 
ruling of any election official in connection with an election for any 1029 
municipal office or a primary for justice of the peace, or any elector or 1030 
candidate claiming that there has been a mistake in the count of votes 1031 
cast for any such office at such election or primary, or any candidate in 1032 
such an election or primary claiming that [he] such candidate is 1033 
aggrieved by a violation of any provision of sections 9-355, 9-357 to 9-1034  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	33 of 48 
 
361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-365 in 1035 
the casting of absentee ballots at such election or primary, may bring a 1036 
complaint [to any judge of the Superior Court] in the superior court for 1037 
the judicial district of Hartford for relief therefrom. In any action 1038 
brought pursuant to the provisions of this section, the complainant shall 1039 
send a copy of the complaint by first-class mail, or deliver a copy of the 1040 
complaint by hand, to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. If 1041 
such complaint is made prior to such election or primary, [such judge] 1042 
the court shall proceed expeditiously to render judgment on the 1043 
complaint and shall cause notice of the hearing to be given to the 1044 
Secretary of the State and the State Elections Enforcement Commission. 1045 
If such complaint is made subsequent to such election or primary, it 1046 
shall be brought not later than fourteen days after such election or 1047 
primary, except that if such complaint is brought in response to the 1048 
manual tabulation of paper ballots, authorized pursuant to section 9-1049 
320f, as amended by this act, such complaint shall be brought not later 1050 
than seven days after the close of any such manual tabulation, to any 1051 
judge of [the Superior Court] such superior court, in which [he] such 1052 
complainant shall set out the claimed errors of the election official, the 1053 
claimed errors in the count or the claimed violations of [said sections. 1054 
Such judge] any provision of sections 9-355, 9-357 to 9-361, inclusive, 1055 
section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-365. 1056 
(b) The court shall forthwith order a hearing to be [had] held upon 1057 
[such] a complaint filed under subsection (a) of this section, upon a day 1058 
not more than five nor less than three days from the making of such 1059 
order, and shall cause notice of not less than three nor more than five 1060 
days to be given to any candidate or candidates whose election or 1061 
nomination may be affected by the decision upon such hearing, to such 1062 
election official, the Secretary of the State, the State Elections 1063 
Enforcement Commission and to any other party or parties whom [such 1064 
judge] the court deems proper parties thereto, of the time and place for 1065 
the hearing upon such complaint. [Such judge] The court shall, on the 1066 
day fixed for such hearing and without unnecessary delay, proceed to 1067 
hear the parties. If sufficient reason is shown, [he] the court may order 1068  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	34 of 48 
 
any voting tabulators to be unlocked or any ballot boxes to be opened 1069 
and a recount of the votes cast, including absentee ballots, to be made. 1070 
[Such judge] The court shall thereupon, if [he] the court finds any error 1071 
in the rulings of the election official or any mistake in the count of the 1072 
votes, certify the result of [his] the court's finding or decision to the 1073 
Secretary of the State before the tenth day succeeding the conclusion of 1074 
the hearing. [Such judge] The court may order a new election or primary 1075 
or a change in the existing election schedule. [Such certificate of such 1076 
judge of his] 1077 
(c) The certificate of the court's finding or decision under subsection 1078 
(b) of this section shall be final and conclusive upon all questions 1079 
relating to errors in the ruling of such election officials, to the correctness 1080 
of such count, and, for the purposes of this section only, such claimed 1081 
violations, and shall operate to correct the returns of the moderators or 1082 
presiding officers, so as to conform to such finding or decision, except 1083 
that this section shall not affect the right of appeal to the Supreme Court 1084 
and [it] shall not prevent [such judge] the court from reserving such 1085 
questions of law for the advice of the Supreme Court as provided in 1086 
section 9-325, as amended by this act. [Such judge] The court may, if 1087 
necessary, issue [his] a writ of mandamus, requiring the adverse party 1088 
and those [under him] thereunder to deliver to the complainant the 1089 
appurtenances of such office, and shall cause [his] the court's finding 1090 
and [decree] decision to be entered on the records of the Superior Court 1091 
in the proper judicial district.  1092 
Sec. 31. Section 9-329a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1093 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and 1094 
applicable to complaints brought on or after July 1, 2024): 1095 
(a) Any (1) elector or candidate aggrieved by a ruling of an election 1096 
official in connection with any primary held pursuant to (A) section 9-1097 
423, 9-425 or 9-464, or (B) a special act, (2) elector or candidate who 1098 
alleges that there has been a mistake in the count of the votes cast at such 1099 
primary, or (3) candidate in such a primary who alleges that [he] such 1100 
candidate is aggrieved by a violation of any provision of sections 9-355, 1101  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	35 of 48 
 
9-357 to 9-361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, 1102 
or 9-365 in the casting of absentee ballots at such primary, may bring 1103 
[his] a complaint [to any judge of the Superior Court] in the superior 1104 
court for the judicial district of Hartford for appropriate action. In any 1105 
action brought pursuant to the provisions of this section, the 1106 
complainant shall file a certification attached to the complaint indicating 1107 
that a copy of the complaint has been sent by first-class mail or delivered 1108 
to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. If such complaint is 1109 
made prior to such primary [such judge] the court shall proceed 1110 
expeditiously to render judgment on the complaint and shall cause 1111 
notice of the hearing to be given to the Secretary of the State and the 1112 
State Elections Enforcement Commission. If such complaint is made 1113 
subsequent to such primary [it] such complaint shall be brought, not 1114 
later than fourteen days after such primary, or if such complaint is 1115 
brought in response to the manual tabulation of paper ballots, described 1116 
in section 9-320f, as amended by this act, such complaint shall be 1117 
brought, not later than seven days after the close of any such manual 1118 
tabulation, [to any judge of the Superior Court] in such superior court. 1119 
(b) [Such judge] The court shall forthwith order a hearing to be held 1120 
upon [such] a complaint filed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, 1121 
upon a day not more than five nor less than three days after the making 1122 
of such order, and shall cause notice of not less than three days to be 1123 
given to any candidate or candidates in any way directly affected by the 1124 
decision upon such hearing, to such election official, to the Secretary of 1125 
the State, the State Elections Enforcement Commission and to any other 1126 
person or persons, whom [such judge] the court deems proper parties 1127 
thereto, of the time and place of the hearing upon such complaint. [Such 1128 
judge] The court shall, on the day fixed for such hearing, and without 1129 
delay, proceed to hear the parties and determine the result. If, after 1130 
hearing, sufficient reason is shown, [such judge] the court may order 1131 
any voting tabulators to be unlocked or any ballot boxes to be opened 1132 
and a recount of the votes cast, including absentee ballots, to be made. 1133 
[Such judge] The court shall thereupon, if [he] the court finds any error 1134 
in the ruling of the election official, any mistake in the count of the votes 1135  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	36 of 48 
 
or any violation of [said sections] any provision of sections 9-355, 9-357 1136 
to 9-361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-1137 
365, certify the result of [his] the court's finding or decision to the 1138 
Secretary of the State before the tenth day following the conclusion of 1139 
the hearing. [Such judge] The court may (1) determine the result of such 1140 
primary; (2) order a change in the existing primary schedule; or (3) order 1141 
a new primary if [he] the court finds that, but for the error in the ruling 1142 
of the election official, any mistake in the count of the votes or any 1143 
violation of [said sections] any provision of sections 9-355, 9-357 to 9-1144 
361, inclusive, section 9-364, 9-364a, as amended by this act, or 9-365, the 1145 
result of such primary might have been different and [he] the court is 1146 
unable to determine the result of such primary. 1147 
(c) [The certification by the judge of his] The certificate of the court's 1148 
finding or decision under subsection (b) of this section shall be final and 1149 
conclusive upon all questions relating to errors in the ruling of such 1150 
election official, to the correctness of such count, and, for the purposes 1151 
of this section only, such alleged violations, and shall operate to correct 1152 
any returns or certificates filed by the election officials, unless the same 1153 
is appealed from as provided in section 9-325, as amended by this act. 1154 
In the event a new primary is held pursuant to such [Superior Court] 1155 
order of such superior court, the result of such new primary shall be 1156 
final and conclusive unless a complaint is brought pursuant to this 1157 
section. The clerk of [the] such superior court shall forthwith transmit a 1158 
copy of such findings and order to the Secretary of the State. 1159 
Sec. 32. Section 9-329b of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 1160 
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1161 
1, 2024, and applicable to complaints brought on or after July 1, 2024): 1162 
(a) At any time prior to a primary held before April 1, 2024, and 1163 
pursuant to sections 9-423, 9-425 and 9-464, or a special act, or prior to 1164 
any election held before April 1, 2024, the [Superior Court] superior 1165 
court for the judicial district of Hartford may issue an order removing a 1166 
candidate from a ballot where it is shown that such candidate is 1167 
improperly on the ballot. 1168  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	37 of 48 
 
(b) At any time prior to the commencement of the period of early 1169 
voting at a primary held on or after April 1, 2024, and pursuant to 1170 
sections 9-423, 9-425 and 9-464, or a special act, or prior to the 1171 
commencement of the period of early voting at any election held on or 1172 
after April 1, 2024, the [Superior Court] superior court for the judicial 1173 
district of Hartford may issue an order removing a candidate from a 1174 
ballot where it is shown that such candidate is improperly on the ballot. 1175 
Sec. 33. Subparagraph (B) of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of 1176 
section 9-368j of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes is repealed 1177 
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and 1178 
applicable to actions filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1179 
(B) (i) In determining whether divergent voting patterns occur in a 1180 
municipality or whether a method of election in such municipality 1181 
results in a dilutive effect on the vote of protected class members, the 1182 
superior court for the judicial district [in which such municipality is 1183 
located] of Hartford (I) shall consider elections held prior to the filing of 1184 
an action pursuant to this section as more probative than elections 1185 
conducted after such filing, (II) shall consider evidence concerning 1186 
elections for any municipal office in such municipality as more 1187 
probative than evidence concerning elections for other offices, but may 1188 
still afford probative value to evidence concerning elections for such 1189 
other offices, (III) shall consider statistical evidence as more probative 1190 
than nonstatistical evidence, (IV) in the case of claims brought on behalf 1191 
of two or more protected classes that are politically cohesive in such 1192 
municipality, shall combine members of such protected classes to 1193 
determine whether voting by such combined protected class members 1194 
is divergent from other electors and shall not require evidence that 1195 
voting by each such protected class's members is separately divergent 1196 
from such other electors, and (V) shall not require evidence concerning 1197 
the intent of electors, elected officials or such municipality to 1198 
discriminate against protected class members. 1199 
(ii) Evidence concerning the causes of, or reasons for, the occurrence 1200 
of divergent voting patterns shall not be deemed relevant to the 1201  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	38 of 48 
 
determination of whether divergent voting patterns occur or whether a 1202 
method of election results in a dilutive effect on the vote of protected 1203 
class members. 1204 
Sec. 34. Subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of section 9-368j of the 2024 1205 
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 1206 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions 1207 
filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1208 
(c) (1) In determining whether, based on the totality of the 1209 
circumstances, an impairment of the right to vote for any protected class 1210 
member in a municipality, or of the opportunity or ability of protected 1211 
class members in a municipality to participate in the political process 1212 
and elect candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome 1213 
of elections, has occurred, the superior court for the judicial district [in 1214 
which such municipality is located] of Hartford may consider factors 1215 
that include, but are not limited to: (A) The history of discrimination in 1216 
or affecting the municipality or state; (B) the extent to which protected 1217 
class members have been elected to office in the municipality; (C) the 1218 
use of any qualification for eligibility to be an elector or other 1219 
prerequisite to voting, any statute, ordinance, regulation or other law 1220 
regarding the administration of elections, or any standard, practice, 1221 
procedure or policy, by the municipality that may enhance the dilutive 1222 
effects of a method of election in such municipality; (D) the extent of any 1223 
history of unequal access on the part of protected class members or 1224 
candidates to election administration or campaign finance processes 1225 
that determine which candidates will receive access to the ballot or 1226 
financial or other support in a given election for an office of the 1227 
municipality; (E) the extent to which protected class members in the 1228 
municipality or state have historically made expenditures, as defined in 1229 
section 9-601b, at lower rates than other individuals in such 1230 
municipality or state; (F) the extent to which protected class members in 1231 
the municipality or state vote at lower rates than other electors in the 1232 
municipality or state, as applicable; (G) the extent to which protected 1233 
class members in the municipality are disadvantaged, or otherwise bear 1234 
the effects of public or private discrimination, in areas that may hinder 1235  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	39 of 48 
 
their ability to participate effectively in the political process, such as 1236 
education, employment, health, criminal justice, housing, 1237 
transportation, land use or environmental protection; (H) the extent to 1238 
which protected class members in the municipality are disadvantaged 1239 
in other areas that may hinder their ability to participate effectively in 1240 
the political process; (I) the use of overt or subtle racial appeals in 1241 
political campaigns in the municipality or surrounding the adoption or 1242 
maintenance of a challenged practice; (J) the extent to which candidates 1243 
face hostility or barriers while campaigning due to their membership in 1244 
a protected class; (K) a significant or recurring lack of responsiveness on 1245 
the part of elected officials of the municipality to the particularized 1246 
needs of a community or communities of protected class members, 1247 
except that compliance with a court order shall not be considered to be 1248 
evidence of such responsiveness; and (L) whether the particular method 1249 
of election, ordinance, regulation or other law regarding the 1250 
administration of elections, standard, practice, procedure or policy was 1251 
designed to advance, and does materially advance, a valid state interest. 1252 
Sec. 35. Subsection (d) of section 9-368j of the 2024 supplement to the 1253 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1254 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions filed on or after July 1255 
1, 2024): 1256 
(d) Any individual aggrieved by a violation of this section, any 1257 
organization whose membership includes individuals aggrieved by 1258 
such a violation or the Secretary of the State may file an action alleging 1259 
a violation of this section in the superior court for the judicial district [in 1260 
which such violation has occurred] of Hartford. Members of two or 1261 
more protected classes that are politically cohesive in a municipality 1262 
may jointly file such an action in such court. 1263 
Sec. 36. Subdivision (1) of subsection (e) of section 9-368j of the 2024 1264 
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 1265 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions 1266 
filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1267  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	40 of 48 
 
(e) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of this title and any special act, 1268 
charter or home rule ordinance, whenever the superior court for [a] the 1269 
judicial district of Hartford finds a violation by a municipality [within 1270 
such judicial district] of any provision of this section, such court shall 1271 
order appropriate remedies that are tailored to address such violation 1272 
in such municipality and to ensure protected class members have 1273 
equitable opportunities to fully participate in the political process and 1274 
that can be implemented in a manner that will not unduly disrupt the 1275 
administration of an ongoing or imminent election. Such court shall take 1276 
into account the ability of officials who administer elections in such 1277 
municipality to implement any change to voting for an ongoing or 1278 
imminent election in a manner that is orderly and fiscally sound, and 1279 
shall not order any remedy that contravenes the Constitution of 1280 
Connecticut. Appropriate remedies may include, but need not be 1281 
limited to: (A) A district-based method of election; (B) an alternative 1282 
method of election; (C) new or revised districting or redistricting plans; 1283 
(D) elimination of staggered elections so that all members of the 1284 
legislative body are elected at the same time; (E) reasonably increasing 1285 
the size of the legislative body; (F) additional voting days or hours; (G) 1286 
additional polling places; (H) additional means of voting, such as voting 1287 
by mail, or additional opportunities to return ballots; (I) holding of 1288 
special elections; (J) expanded opportunities for admission of electors; 1289 
(K) additional elector education; (L) the restoration or addition of 1290 
individuals to registry lists; or (M) retaining jurisdiction for such period 1291 
of time as the court may deem appropriate, during which period no 1292 
qualification for eligibility to be an elector or prerequisite to voting, or 1293 
standard, practice or procedure with respect to voting, that is different 1294 
from that which was in effect at the time an action under subsection (d) 1295 
of this section was commenced shall be enforced unless the court finds 1296 
that such qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice or procedure 1297 
does not have the purpose, and will not have the effect, of impairing the 1298 
right to vote on the basis of protected class membership or in 1299 
contravention of the guarantees with respect to such right that are set 1300 
forth in sections 9-368j to 9-368q, inclusive, as amended by this act, 1301 
provided, in any action brought pursuant to chapter 149, any remedy 1302  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	41 of 48 
 
ordered shall be consistent with the provisions of said chapter. 1303 
Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (M) of this 1304 
subdivision, any such finding by the court shall not be a bar to any 1305 
subsequent action to enjoin enforcement of such qualification, 1306 
prerequisite, standard, practice or procedure. 1307 
Sec. 37. Subparagraphs (E) and (F) of subdivision (2) of subsection (g) 1308 
of section 9-368j of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes are 1309 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 1310 
2024, and applicable to actions filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1311 
(E) If, pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, a municipality 1312 
enacts or implements a remedy or the Secretary of the State approves a 1313 
proposed remedy, a party who sent a notification letter described in 1314 
subdivision (1) of this subsection regarding a potential violation that is 1315 
related to such remedy may, not later than thirty days after such 1316 
enactment, implementation or approval, submit a claim for 1317 
reimbursement from such municipality for the costs associated with 1318 
producing and sending such notification letter. Such party shall submit 1319 
such claim in writing and substantiate such claim with financial 1320 
documentation, including a detailed invoice for any demography 1321 
services or analysis of voting patterns in such municipality. Upon 1322 
receipt of any such claim, such municipality may request additional 1323 
financial documentation if that which has been provided by such party 1324 
is insufficient to substantiate such costs. Such municipality shall 1325 
reimburse such party for reasonable costs claimed or for an amount to 1326 
which such party and such municipality agree, except that the 1327 
cumulative amount of any such reimbursements to all such parties other 1328 
than the Secretary of the State shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars, 1329 
adjusted in accordance with any change in the consumer price index for 1330 
all urban consumers as published by the United States Department of 1331 
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. If any such party and such 1332 
municipality fail to agree to a reimbursement amount, either such party 1333 
or such municipality may file an action for a declaratory judgment with 1334 
the superior court for the judicial district [in which such municipality is 1335 
located] of Hartford for a clarification of rights. 1336  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	42 of 48 
 
(F) (i) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a party 1337 
described in subsection (d) of this section may seek preliminary relief 1338 
for a regular election held in a municipality by filing an action pursuant 1339 
to this section during the one hundred twenty days prior to such regular 1340 
election. Not later than the filing of such action, such party shall send a 1341 
notification letter described in subdivision (1) of this subsection to such 1342 
municipality. In the event any such action is withdrawn or dismissed as 1343 
being moot as a result of such municipality's enactment or 1344 
implementation of a remedy, or the approval by the Secretary of the 1345 
State of a proposed remedy, any such party may only submit a claim for 1346 
reimbursement in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (E) 1347 
of this subdivision. 1348 
(ii) In the case of preliminary relief sought pursuant to subparagraph 1349 
(F)(i) of this subdivision by a party described in subsection (d) of this 1350 
section, the superior court for the judicial district [in which such 1351 
municipality is located] of Hartford shall grant such relief if such court 1352 
determines that (I) such party has shown a substantial likelihood of 1353 
success on the merits, and (II) it is possible to implement an appropriate 1354 
remedy that would resolve the violation alleged under this section prior 1355 
to such election in a manner that will not unduly disrupt such election. 1356 
Sec. 38. Subsection (g) of section 9-368l of the 2024 supplement to the 1357 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1358 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions filed on or after July 1359 
1, 2024): 1360 
(g) Any individual aggrieved by a violation of this section, any 1361 
organization whose membership includes individuals aggrieved by 1362 
such a violation or the Secretary of the State may file an action alleging 1363 
a violation of this section in the superior court for the judicial district [in 1364 
which such violation has occurred] of Hartford, except that no 1365 
determination of the Secretary under this section to designate a 1366 
municipality or a language for the provision of assistance shall 1367 
constitute a violation of this section. 1368  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	43 of 48 
 
Sec. 39. Subsection (a) of section 9-368m of the 2024 supplement to the 1369 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1370 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions filed on or after July 1371 
1, 2024): 1372 
(a) In accordance with the provisions of this section, the enactment or 1373 
implementation of a covered policy, as described in subsection (b) of this 1374 
section, by a covered jurisdiction, as described in subsection (c) of this 1375 
section, shall be subject to preclearance, as described in subsections (e) 1376 
and (f) of this section, by the Secretary of the State or the superior court 1377 
for the judicial district [in which such covered jurisdiction is located] of 1378 
Hartford. 1379 
Sec. 40. Subdivision (1) of subsection (f) of section 9-368m of the 2024 1380 
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 1381 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions 1382 
filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1383 
(f) (1) If a covered jurisdiction seeks preclearance from the superior 1384 
court for the judicial district [in which such covered jurisdiction is 1385 
located] of Hartford for the adoption or implementation of any covered 1386 
policy, in lieu of seeking such preclearance from the Secretary of the 1387 
State pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, such covered jurisdiction 1388 
shall submit, in writing, such covered policy to such court and may 1389 
obtain such preclearance in accordance with the provisions of this 1390 
subsection, provided (A) such covered jurisdiction shall also 1391 
contemporaneously transmit to the Secretary of the State a copy of such 1392 
submission, and (B) failure to so provide such copy shall result in an 1393 
automatic denial of such preclearance. Notwithstanding the 1394 
transmission to the Secretary of a copy of any such submission, the court 1395 
shall exercise exclusive jurisdiction over such submission. The covered 1396 
jurisdiction shall bear the burden of proof in the court's determination 1397 
as to preclearance. 1398 
Sec. 41. Subsection (g) of section 9-368m of the 2024 supplement to 1399 
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1400  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	44 of 48 
 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions filed on or after July 1401 
1, 2024): 1402 
(g) If any covered jurisdiction enacts or implements any covered 1403 
policy without obtaining preclearance for such covered policy in 1404 
accordance with the provisions of this section, the Secretary of the State 1405 
or any party described in subsection (d) of section 9-368j, as amended 1406 
by this act, may file an action in the superior court for the judicial district 1407 
[in which such covered jurisdiction is located] of Hartford to enjoin such 1408 
enactment or implementation and seek sanctions against such covered 1409 
jurisdiction for violations of this section. 1410 
Sec. 42. Subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of section 9-368n of the 2024 1411 
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 1412 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024, and applicable to actions 1413 
filed on or after July 1, 2024): 1414 
(c) (1) Any individual aggrieved by a violation of this section or any 1415 
organization whose membership includes individuals aggrieved by 1416 
such a violation may file an action alleging a violation of this section in 1417 
the superior court for the judicial district [in which such violation has 1418 
occurred] of Hartford. Such an action may be filed irrespective of any 1419 
action that may be filed by the State Elections Enforcement Commission, 1420 
the Attorney General or the State's Attorney as a result of such a 1421 
violation. 1422 
Sec. 43. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 9-7a of the general 1423 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 1424 
(Effective July 1, 2024): 1425 
(g) (1) In the case of a written complaint filed with the commission 1426 
pursuant to section 9-7b, commission staff shall conduct and complete a 1427 
preliminary examination of such complaint by the fourteenth day 1428 
following its receipt, at which time such staff shall, at its discretion, (A) 1429 
dismiss the complaint for failure to allege any substantial violation of 1430 
state election law supported by evidence, (B) engage the respondent in 1431 
discussions in an effort to speedily resolve any matter pertaining to a de 1432  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	45 of 48 
 
minimis violation, or (C) investigate and docket the complaint for a 1433 
determination by the commission that probable cause or no probable 1434 
cause exists for any such violation. If commission staff dismisses a 1435 
complaint pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, such staff 1436 
shall provide a brief written statement concisely setting forth the 1437 
reasons for such dismissal. If commission staff engages a respondent 1438 
pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this subdivision but is unable to 1439 
speedily resolve any such matter described in said subparagraph by the 1440 
forty-fifth day following receipt of the complaint, such staff shall docket 1441 
such complaint for a determination by the commission that probable 1442 
cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state election law. 1443 
If the commission does not, by the sixtieth day following receipt of the 1444 
complaint, either issue a decision or render its determination that 1445 
probable cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state 1446 
election laws, the complainant or respondent may apply to the superior 1447 
court for the judicial district of Hartford for an order to show cause why 1448 
the commission has not acted upon the complaint and to provide 1449 
evidence that the commission has unreasonably delayed action. For any 1450 
complaint received on or after January 1, 2018, if the commission does 1451 
not, by one year following receipt of such complaint, issue a decision 1452 
thereon, the commission shall dismiss such complaint, provided the 1453 
length of time of any delay caused by (i) the commission or commission 1454 
staff granting any extension or continuance to a respondent prior to the 1455 
issuance of any such decision, (ii) any subpoena issued in connection 1456 
with such complaint, (iii) any litigation in state or federal court related 1457 
to such complaint, or (iv) any investigation by, or consultation of the 1458 
commission or commission staff with, the Chief State's Attorney, the 1459 
Attorney General, the United States Department of Justice or the United 1460 
States Attorney for Connecticut related to such complaint, shall be 1461 
added to such one year. For any complaint received on or after July 1, 1462 
2024, if the commission does not, by the ninetieth day following the 1463 
commission's determination that probable cause exists for any violation 1464 
of state election laws, issue a decision on such complaint, the 1465 
commission shall refer such complaint to the Chief State's Attorney for 1466 
further enforcement action. In the case of any complaint so referred 1467  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	46 of 48 
 
under this subdivision, the Chief State's Attorney shall submit a report 1468 
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 1469 
cognizance of matters relating to elections, in accordance with the 1470 
provisions of section 11-4a, detailing the status of any enforcement 1471 
action related to such referred complaint. 1472 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 from passage 9-140b(c) 
Sec. 2 July 1, 2024 9-140c(a) 
Sec. 3 from passage 9-153b 
Sec. 4 from passage 9-364a 
Sec. 5 January 1, 2025 9-139a(a) and (b) 
Sec. 6 July 1, 2024 9-140(a) 
Sec. 7 from passage 9-50c 
Sec. 8 July 1, 2024 9-50b 
Sec. 9 October 1, 2024 9-50d 
Sec. 10 July 1, 2024 9-163aa(h) 
Sec. 11 July 1, 2024 9-19j(j) 
Sec. 12 July 1, 2024 9-147a 
Sec. 13 July 1, 2024 9-453e 
Sec. 14 July 1, 2024 9-453j 
Sec. 15 July 1, 2024 9-453k(a) and (b) 
Sec. 16 July 1, 2024 9-453o 
Sec. 17 July 1, 2024 9-404b(c) and (d) 
Sec. 18 July 1, 2024 9-410 
Sec. 19 from passage 9-140e 
Sec. 20 July 1, 2024 9-320f(a) 
Sec. 21 July 1, 2024 9-460 
Sec. 22 July 1, 2024 9-437(a) 
Sec. 23 July 1, 2024 9-437(g) 
Sec. 24 July 1, 2024 9-428 
Sec. 25 July 1, 2024 9-135b(d) 
Sec. 26 July 1, 2024 9-472 
Sec. 27 January 1, 2025 9-453u 
Sec. 28 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to complaints 
brought on or after July 1, 
2024 
9-324  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	47 of 48 
 
Sec. 29 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to complaints 
brought on or after July 1, 
2024 
9-325 
Sec. 30 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to complaints 
brought on or after July 1, 
2024 
9-328 
Sec. 31 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to complaints 
brought on or after July 1, 
2024 
9-329a 
Sec. 32 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to complaints 
brought on or after July 1, 
2024 
9-329b 
Sec. 33 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368j(b)(2)(B) 
Sec. 34 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368j(c)(1) 
Sec. 35 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368j(d) 
Sec. 36 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368j(e)(1) 
Sec. 37 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368j(g)(2)(E) and (F) 
Sec. 38 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368l(g) 
Sec. 39 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368m(a) 
Sec. 40 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368m(f)(1) 
Sec. 41 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368m(g)  Raised Bill No.  5498 
 
 
 
LCO No. 2811   	48 of 48 
 
Sec. 42 July 1, 2024, and 
applicable to actions filed 
on or after July 1, 2024 
9-368n(c)(1) 
Sec. 43 July 1, 2024 9-7a(g)(1) 
 
Statement of Purpose:   
To (1) provide for video recording of absentee ballot drop boxes and 
retention of such recordings, (2) require town clerks to record the 
method of receipt for absentee ballots, (3) limit who may apply for 
additional absentee voting sets, (4) amend an election crime statute 
regarding suppression or destruction of votes to specify applicability to 
various methods of casting such votes, (5) require confidentiality of 
certain election data provided by other states, (6) limit the authorized 
use of absentee ballot applications to specified periods of time, (7) 
require town clerks to track absentee ballots in the state-wide 
centralized voter registration system, (8) prohibit the commercial use of 
certain voter registration information, (9) prohibit certain candidates 
from being present in early voting, same-day election registration and 
absentee ballot central counting locations, (10) bring into compliance 
with federal case law certain state statutes relating to the circulation of 
nominating and primary petitions, (11) delete a grounds for removal of 
an elector from permanent absentee ballot status, (12) modify the 
timeline for the conduct of a post-election audit, (13) require town clerks 
to, when a vacancy in candidacy is unfilled, obscure the name of the 
vacated candidate on the ballot, (14) prohibit the use of "independent" 
or any similar word in any party designation recorded with the 
Secretary of the State, (15) require that certain election-related filings be 
made in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford, and (16) 
provide a deadline for mandatory referral of a complaint from the State 
Elections Enforcement Commission to the Chief State's Attorney. 
[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.]