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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1514
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 5615
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING CURBSIDE VOTING ACCESSIBILITY FOR
ELECTORS WITH DISABILITIES OR OTHER INCAPACITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 9-261 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 2
1, 2026): 3
(b) In the event that an elector is present at the polling place but is 4
unable to gain access to the polling place due to [a temporary] an 5
incapacity, the elector may request that the ballot be brought to him or 6
her in the area designated pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-236, as 7
amended by this act, for curbside voting. The registrars of voters or the 8
assistant registrars of voters, as the case may be, shall take such ballot, 9
along with a privacy sleeve to such elector. The elector shall show 10
identification, in accordance with the provisions of this section. The 11
elector shall forthwith mark the ballot in the presence of the election 12
officials in such manner that the election officials shall not know how 13
the ballot is marked. The elector shall place the ballot in the privacy 14
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sleeve. The election officials shall mark the elector's name on the official 15
voter list, manually on paper or electronically, as having voted in person 16
and deliver such ballot and privacy sleeve to the voting tabulator where 17
such ballot shall be placed into the tabulator, by the election official, for 18
counting. The moderator shall record such activity in the moderator's 19
diary. 20
Sec. 2. Section 9-236 of the general statutes is repealed and the 21
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2026): 22
(a) On the day of any primary, referendum or election, no person 23
shall solicit on behalf of or in opposition to the candidacy of another or 24
himself or on behalf of or in opposition to any question being submitted 25
at the election or referendum, or loiter or peddle or offer any advertising 26
matter, ballot or circular to another person within a radius of seventy-27
five feet of any outside entrance in use as an entry to any polling place 28
or in any corridor, passageway or other approach leading from any such 29
outside entrance to such polling place or in any room opening upon any 30
such corridor, passageway or approach. Nothing contained in this 31
section shall be construed to prohibit (1) parent-teacher associations or 32
parent-teacher organizations from holding bake sales or other fund-33
raising activities on the day of any primary, referendum or election in 34
any school used as a polling place, provided such sales or activities shall 35
not be held in the room in which the election booths are located, (2) the 36
registrars of voters from directing the officials at a primary, referendum 37
or election to distribute, within the restricted area, adhesive labels on 38
which are imprinted the words "I Voted Today", or (3) the registrars of 39
voters in a primary, election or referendum from jointly permitting 40
nonpartisan activities to be conducted in a room other than the room in 41
which the election booths are located. The registrars may jointly impose 42
such conditions and limitations on such nonpartisan activity as deemed 43
necessary to ensure the orderly process of voting. The moderator shall 44
evict any person who in any way interferes with the orderly process of 45
voting. 46
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(b) (1) The selectmen shall provide suitable markers to indicate the 47
seventy-five-foot distance from such entrance. Such markers shall 48
consist of a board resting on an iron rod, which board shall be not less 49
than twelve inches square and painted a bright color and shall bear the 50
figures and letters "75 feet" and the following words: "On the day of any 51
primary, referendum or election no person shall solicit in behalf of or in 52
opposition to another or himself or peddle or offer any ballot, 53
advertising matter or circular to another person or loiter within a radius 54
of seventy-five feet of any outside entrance in use as an entry to any 55
polling place or in any corridor, passageway or other approach leading 56
from any such outside entrance to such polling place or in any room 57
opening upon any such corridor, passageway or approach." 58
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 59
subsection, the selectmen may provide the markers required by the 60
provisions of this subsection in effect prior to October 1, 1983, except 61
that in the case of a referendum which is not held in conjunction with 62
an election or a primary, the selectmen shall provide the markers 63
required by subdivision (1) of this subsection. 64
(3) The moderator and the moderator's assistants shall meet at least 65
twenty minutes before the opening of a primary, referendum or an 66
election in the voting district, and shall cause to be placed by a police 67
officer or constable, or such other primary or election official as they 68
select, a suitable number of distance markers. Such moderator or any 69
police officer or constable shall prohibit loitering and peddling of tickets 70
within that distance. 71
(c) (1) The registrars of voters shall designate at each polling place an 72
area for curbside voting where any elector who is present at the polling 73
place, but is unable to gain access to the polling place due to an 74
incapacity, may request that the ballot be brought to such elector as 75
provided in subsection (b) of section 9-261, as amended by this act. 76
(2) On the day of any primary, referendum or election, no person 77
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shall solicit on behalf of or in opposition to the candidacy of another or 78
himself or on behalf of or in opposition to any question being submitted 79
at the election or referendum, or loiter or peddle or offer any advertising 80
matter, ballot or circular to another person within a marked radius of 81
twenty feet of any elector who is brought a ballot in the area designated 82
for curbside voting pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection. 83
(3) (A) While an elector is casting his or her ballot in the area 84
designated for curbside voting pursuant to subdivision (1) of this 85
subsection, no person shall be allowed in any vehicle being used by such 86
elector to cast such ballot for any purpose other than casting such ballot 87
or driving such elector to cast such ballot. 88
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (A) of this 89
subdivision, no candidate shall be allowed in any vehicle used for the 90
casting of a ballot under this subsection unless for purposes of casting 91
the candidate's own ballot. 92
(4) The Secretary of the State shall adopt regulations, in accordance 93
with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of this 94
subsection. Such regulations shall include, but not be limited to, a model 95
plan that municipalities may implement for curbside voting. 96
[(c)] (d) No person shall be allowed within any polling place for any 97
purpose other than casting his or her vote, except (1) those permitted or 98
exempt under this section or section 9-236a, (2) primary officials under 99
section 9-436, (3) election officials under section 9-258, including (A) a 100
municipal clerk or registrar of voters, who is a candidate for the same 101
office, performing his or her official duties, and (B) a deputy registrar of 102
voters, who is a candidate for the office of registrar of voters, performing 103
his or her official duties, or (4) unofficial checkers under section 9-235. 104
Representatives of the news media shall be allowed to enter, remain 105
within and leave any polling place or restricted area surrounding any 106
polling place to observe the election, provided any such representative 107
who in any way interferes with the orderly process of voting shall be 108
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evicted by the moderator. A number of students in grades four to 109
twelve, inclusive, not to exceed four at any one time in any one polling 110
place, may enter any polling place between twelve o'clock noon and 111
three o'clock p.m. for the purpose of observing the activities taking place 112
in the polling place, provided there is proper parental or teacher 113
supervision present, and provided further, any such student who in any 114
way interferes with the orderly process of voting shall be evicted by the 115
moderator. An elector may be accompanied into any polling place by 116
one or more children who are fifteen years of age or younger and 117
supervised by the elector if the elector is the parent or legal guardian of 118
such children. 119
[(d)] (e) Any person who violates any provision of this section or, 120
while the polls are open for voting, removes or injures any such distance 121
marker, shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor. 122
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 January 1, 2026 9-261(b)
Sec. 2 January 1, 2026 9-236
Statement of Purpose:
To require registrars of voters to designate areas for curbside voting at
polling places to assist electors with disabilities and other incapacities
in casting their ballots.
[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.]