Sec. 9-255a. Certification re number of ballots ordered.
Sec. 9-256. Filing of sample ballot with Secretary.
Sec. 9-238. *(See end of section for amended version of subsection (a) and effective date.) Voting tabulators required. Notification of purchase or discontinuance of use. *(a) Except as provided in section 9-272, voting tabulators shall be used at all elections held in any municipality, or in any part thereof, for voting and registering and counting votes cast at such elections for officers, and upon all questions or amendments submitted at such elections. The board of selectmen of each town, the common council of each city and the warden and burgesses of each borough shall purchase or lease, or otherwise provide, for use at elections in each such municipality a number of voting tabulators approved by the Secretary of the State. Different voting tabulators may be provided for different voting districts in the same municipality. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection to the contrary, the registrars of voters of a municipality may determine the number of voting tabulators that shall be provided for use at any special election in such municipality, provided the registrars shall provide at least one voting tabulator in the municipality or, in a municipality divided into voting districts, at least one voting tabulator in each such district.
(b) Upon the purchase or lease of a voting tabulator for use in any municipality, the officials of such municipality purchasing or leasing the same shall forthwith send notification in writing to the Secretary of the State of the name or make of such tabulator, the name of the person who manufactured the same, the name of the person from whom it was purchased or leased and the date on which it was purchased or leased. No voting tabulator shall be used in an election which, in the opinion of the Secretary of the State, does not conform to the requirements of law, is unsuitable for use in such election or does not comply with the voluntary performance and test standards for voting systems adopted by the Election Assistance Commission pursuant to the Help America Vote Act, P.L. 107-252, 43 USC 15481. When in any municipality the use of a voting tabulator at elections is discontinued because of its age or condition or because it is sold, or for any other reason, such officials shall send written notification to the Secretary of the discontinuance of such tabulator, of the time of and reason for such discontinuance and of the information required in connection with notification of original purchasing or leasing.
(1949 Rev., S. 1192, 1193, 1194; 1951, S. 259b; 1953, 1955, S. 715d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 32; 355, S. 1; P.A. 80-339, S. 1; P.A. 91-7; 91-351, S. 26, 28; P.A. 94-203, S. 3, 12; P.A. 07-194, S. 38; P.A. 11-20, S. 6.)
*Note: On and after July 1, 2025, subsection (a) of this section, as amended by section 3 of public act 23-1 of the September 26 special session, is to read as follows:
“(a) Except as provided in section 9-272, voting tabulators shall be used at all elections held in any municipality, or in any part thereof, for voting and registering and counting votes cast at such elections for officers, and upon all questions or amendments submitted at such elections. The board of selectmen of each town, the common council of each city and the warden and burgesses of each borough shall purchase or lease, or otherwise provide, for use at elections in each such municipality a number of voting tabulators approved by the Secretary of the State. Different voting tabulators may be provided for different voting districts in the same municipality. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection, the registrars of voters of a municipality shall ensure that each voting district at any such election uses a dedicated voting tabulator or tabulators that only registers and counts votes cast for such voting district. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the counting of ballots at a central location designated for such purpose or to the conduct of a recanvass.”
(1949 Rev., S. 1192, 1193, 1194; 1951, S. 259b; 1953, 1955, S. 715d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 32; 355, S. 1; P.A. 80-339, S. 1; P.A. 91-7; 91-351, S. 26, 28; P.A. 94-203, S. 3, 12; P.A. 07-194, S. 38; P.A. 11-20, S. 6; Sept. 26 Sp. Sess. P.A. 23-1, S. 3.)
History: 1969 acts provided for discontinuance of use of old voting machines and provided for additional voting machines according to number of electors and in municipalities having less than 5,000 electors in lieu of additional machine officials may provide sample voting machine ballot labels, effective with respect to all elections held on or after January 1, 1970; P.A. 80-339 substituted “absentee ballots” for “sample voting machine ballot labels” and “emergency paper” for “unofficial” ballots where appearing; P.A. 91-7 divided section into Subsecs. and added provision in Subsec. (a) allowing registrars to determine number of voting machines for special elections; P.A. 91-351 changed effective date of P.A. 91-7 from October 1, 1991, to July 1, 1991; P.A. 94-203 amended Subsec. (a) to require registrars to exclude 75% of names of electors residing in institutions when calculating required number of voting machines, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 07-194 replaced “voting machines” with “voting tabulators”, deleted procedures re voting machines, required tabulators to comply with voluntary performance and test standards for voting systems adopted by the Election Assistance Commission and made technical changes; P.A. 11-20 replaced “voting machines” with “tabulators” and deleted reference to Sec. 9-271 in Subsec. (a), effective May 24, 2011; Sept. 26 Sp. Sess. P.A. 23-1 amended Subsec. (a) by no longer allowing registrars to determine the number of voting tabulators at special elections and instead requiring registrars to ensure use of dedicated tabulators for each voting district at any election, by exempting centralized ballot counting and recanvasses from provisions of subsection and by making a technical change, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 9-255a. Certification re number of ballots ordered. (a) The registrars of voters and municipal clerk from each municipality shall jointly certify, in writing, to the Secretary of the State the number of ballots for each polling place in the municipality that have been ordered for each election or primary to be held within such municipality. Such registrars and clerk shall also so certify the number of ballots for each location designated for the conduct of early voting in the municipality that have been ordered for each election or primary held on or after April 1, 2024. Such certification shall be on a form provided by the Secretary that shall have questions, including, but not limited to, those pertaining to the historical turnout for each such polling place or location, as applicable, in the municipality for the past four elections or primaries of similar nature to the election or primary to be held. The registrars of voters and municipal clerk shall include as part of any such certification any other relevant factors that may be unique to each such polling place or location in their municipality. Such certification shall be provided to the Secretary not later than thirty-one days prior to the commencement of the period of early voting at an election or twenty-one days prior to the commencement of the period of early voting at a primary.
(b) If the registrars of voters and municipal clerk of a municipality do not jointly submit the certification as set forth in subsection (a) of this section, such registrars of voters and municipal clerk shall order a number of ballots equal to the total number of registered voters in their municipality for such election or primary.
(c) The registrars of voters and municipal clerk may jointly apply to the Secretary of the State for a waiver of the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such waiver request shall be submitted to the Secretary of the State, in writing, not later than the forty-fifth day before the commencement of the period of early voting at the election or the thirtieth day before the commencement of the period of early voting at the primary to be held and shall demonstrate good cause for such waiver. Not later than five days after receipt of such waiver request, the Secretary shall notify, in writing, the municipal clerk requesting a waiver, of the Secretary's response.
(d) The Secretary of the State shall have the authority to reject the certification submitted by a municipality pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. If the Secretary of the State rejects such certification, the Secretary shall provide, in writing, the reasons for such rejection. Such rejection by the Secretary shall require any such municipality to follow the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. If, not later than seven days after the receipt of a certification from a municipality, the Secretary does not notify the municipality that its certification was rejected, such certification shall be deemed accepted.
(P.A. 11-46, S. 5; P.A. 23-5, S. 8; 23-204, S. 179, 183.)
History: P.A. 11-46 effective June 13, 2011; P.A. 23-5 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re certification of number of ballots for locations designated for conduct of early voting on or after January 1, 2024, adding references to such locations and adding references to the commencement of periods of early voting, amended Subsec. (c) by adding references to the commencement of periods of early voting and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 23-204 changed effective date of P.A. 23-5, S. 8, from July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, effective June 12, 2023, and amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “January 1, 2024” with “April 1, 2024”, effective January 1, 2024.
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Sec. 9-256. Filing of sample ballot with Secretary. The registrars of voters of each municipality shall, not less than ten days prior to the commencement of the period of early voting at an election, file with the Secretary of the State a sample ballot identical with those to be provided for each polling place under section 9-255. The Secretary of the State shall examine the sample ballot required to be filed under this section, and if such sample ballot contains an error, the Secretary of the State shall order the registrars of voters to reprint a corrected sample ballot or to take other such action as the Secretary may deem appropriate.
(1949 Rev., S. 1200; 1953, 1955, S. 731d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 13; P.A. 77-303, S. 2, 3; P.A. 11-20, S. 1; 11-173, S. 46; P.A. 23-5, S. 30; 23-204, S. 183.)
History: P.A. 77-303 provided for action to be taken by secretary of the state if sample ballot label contains an error; P.A. 11-173 replaced references to clerk with “registrars of voters” and replaced “ballot label” with “ballot”, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 23-5 added reference to commencement of early voting period, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 23-204 changed effective date of P.A. 23-5, S. 30, from July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, effective June 12, 2023.
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Sec. 9-264. Assistance to elector who is blind, has disability or is unable to write or to read the ballot. An elector who requires assistance to vote, by reason of blindness, disability or inability to write or to read the ballot, may be given assistance by a person of the elector's choice, other than (1) the elector's employer, (2) an agent of such employer, (3) an officer or agent of the elector's union, or (4) a candidate for any office on the ballot, unless the elector is a member of the immediate family of such candidate. The person assisting the elector may accompany the elector into the voting booth at the polling place, the location designated for same-day election registration or the location designated for the conduct of early voting, as applicable. Such person shall register such elector's vote upon the ballot as such elector directs. Any person accompanying an elector into the voting booth at the polling place or the location designated for election day registration who deceives any elector in registering the elector's vote under this section or seeks to influence any elector while in the act of voting, or who registers any vote for any elector or on any question other than as requested by such elector, or who gives information to any person as to what person or persons such elector voted for, or how such elector voted on any question, shall be guilty of a class D felony. As used in this section, “immediate family” means “immediate family” as defined in section 9-140b.
(1949 Rev., S. 1210; 1953, S. 740d; 1961, P.A. 431; P.A. 75-133; P.A. 87-382, S. 29, 55; P.A. 93-384, S. 10, 28; P.A. 00-79, S. 3; P.A. 11-20, S. 18; 11-173, S. 41; P.A. 13-258, S. 36; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 110; P.A. 23-5, S. 31; 23-204, S. 183.)
History: 1961 act made special provision for blind electors and made other technical changes; P.A. 75-133 deleted provision for physically disabled voter to be accompanied into voting machine booth by two election officials of opposite parties, substituting therefor a person of his choice who is a Connecticut elector and providing for such person to register disabled voter's vote on machine as he directs; P.A. 87-382 amended provisions to clarify who qualifies for assistance and to indicate who may provide assistance to an elector and deleted a reference to voting for a “ticket”; P.A. 93-384 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) requiring paper ballots to be made available to electors with disabilities who are unable to reach all necessary parts of voting machine, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 00-79 amended Subsec. (b) to specify paper ballots “provided by the municipal clerk to the moderator pursuant to section 9-259” and to make technical changes; P.A. 11-20 replaced “voting machine booth” with “voting booth” and “machine” with “ballot”, made technical changes, eliminated Subsec. (a) designator and eliminated former Subsec. (b) re paper ballots, effective May 24, 2011; P.A. 11-173 added Subdiv. (4) re candidate for office, replaced “voting machine booth” with “voting booth” and “machine” with “ballot”, defined “immediate family”, made technical changes, deleted Subsec. (a) designator and deleted former Subsec. (b) re paper ballots, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 13-258 changed penalty from a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more than 5 years to a class D felony; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 added references to polling places and election day registration locations, effective June 23, 2021; P.A. 23-5 replaced “election day registration” with “same-day election registration” and added reference to early voting location, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 23-204 changed effective date of P.A. 23-5, S. 31, from July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, effective June 12, 2023.
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