History: P.A. 05-188 effective July 1, 2005.
Sec. 9-23h. Application form. The application provided for in section 9-23g shall
provide spaces for the following information for each applicant: (1) Name, (2) bona
fide residence, including street number, street address, apartment number if applicable,
town and zip code, (3) telephone number, (4) date of birth, (5) whether the applicant is
registered as an elector in any other town in the state of Connecticut or in any other
state, and if so, the applicant's last previous voting residence, (6) whether the applicant
is a United States citizen, (7) whether the applicant will be eighteen years of age on or
before election day, (8) party affiliation, if any, (9) the applicant's signature and date
of signature, and (10) the applicant's Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license number or, if none, the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number. The spaces
for the applicant's telephone number and party affiliation shall indicate that such information does not have to be provided. On any such application printed on or after January
1, 2006, the space for the applicant's party affiliation shall also include a list of the
names of the major parties, as defined in section 9-372, as options for the applicant. The
spaces regarding United States citizenship and whether the applicant will be eighteen
years of age on or before election day shall indicate that if the applicant answers "No"
to either question, the applicant may not complete the voter registration form. No Social
Security number on any such form filed prior to January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to
the public or to any governmental agency. The application shall contain a notice that if
the applicant does not receive a notice of acceptance or rejection of the application from
the office of the registrars of voters for the municipality in which the applicant resides,
the applicant should contact said office. The application shall also contain any other
information, questions or instructions prescribed by the Secretary of the State.
(P.A. 88-344, S. 2, 5; P.A. 93-386, S. 2, 5; P.A. 94-121, S. 19, 33; P.A. 99-268, S. 41, 46; P.A. 00-169, S. 22; P.A. 02-83, S. 7; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 92; P.A. 05-235, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 93-386 required form to provide space for applicant's Social Security number, required secretary and
registrars to comply with Privacy Act re request for such number and prohibited public disclosure of the number, amended
Subpara. (A) by substituting "until approved by the registrars of voters," for "until he receives a notice of acceptance from
the registrars of voters, which should be within three weeks," amended Subpara. (B) by adding reference to Sec. 9-27, deleted
former Subparas. (C), (E) and (F), re witnessing official, and renumbered remaining Subparas. accordingly, substituted new
Subpara. (D) for former Subpara. (H), requiring summary of applicable penalties to be contained on application instead
of full text and amended relettered Subpara. (E) to provide for applicant to retain receipt, effective January 1, 1994; P.A.
94-121 deleted requirements that application provide spaces for applicant's sex, birthplace and printed or typed name and
address and contain instructions re question re citizenship and information specified in former Subparas. (A) to (E), inclusive, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 99-268 repealed requirement that application provide space for applicant's Social
Security number and extended prohibition on disclosure of Social Security numbers on forms to the public or to any
governmental agency, effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting
this section; P.A. 02-83 made a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality and required application to contain
notice that applicant should contact registrars' office if applicant does not receive notice of acceptance or rejection, effective
January 1, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 added new Subdiv. (7) to require application to provide space for whether
applicant will be eighteen years of age on or before election day, renumbered former Subdivs. (7) and (8) as Subdivs. (8)
and (9), added Subdiv. (10) to require application to provide space for applicant's Connecticut motor vehicle operator's
license number or, if none, the last four digits of applicant's Social Security number, and added provision to require spaces
re citizenship and whether applicant will be eighteen years of age to indicate that if applicant answers "No", applicant may
not complete form, effective January 1, 2004; P.A. 05-235 required application to include list of names of major parties,
effective January 1, 2006.
Sec. 9-23r. Submission of identifying information with mail voter registration
application. (a) On or after January 1, 2003, any person who is applying, by mail, to
register to vote for the first time in this state may submit as part of such voter registration
application: (1) A copy of a current and valid photo identification, (2) a copy of a current
utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that
shows the name and address of the voter, (3) a valid Connecticut motor vehicle operator's
license number, or (4) the last four digits of the individual's Social Security number.
Members of the armed forces and persons entitled to use the federal post card application
for absentee ballots under section 9-153a are not required to provide identification when
registering by mail. No information submitted as part of a voter registration application
under this subsection shall be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information
Act pursuant to chapter 14, except for the name, address, date of birth and telephone
number of the applicant.
(b) If an individual submits such information pursuant to this section as part of the
individual's voter registration application and, with respect to subdivision (3) or (4) of
subsection (a) of this section, the registrars of voters are able to match the information
submitted with an existing Connecticut identification record bearing the same number,
name and date of birth as provided, such individual shall not be required to produce
identification when voting in person or by absentee ballot and may sign a statement as
described in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-261 in
lieu of presenting identification when voting in person.
(c) Any additional documentation submitted as part of the voter registration application pursuant to this section may be destroyed by the registrars of voters after verification
pursuant to the Help America Vote Act, P.L. 107-252, as amended from time to time.
(d) If an individual described in subsection (a) of this section does not submit the
identification described in subsection (a) of this section as part of the individual's application for admission as an elector, when the individual has entered the polling place in
an election for federal office, the individual shall present: (1) A current and valid photo
identification, or (2) a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check,
paycheck or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter.
If an individual does not meet the requirements of this subsection in an election for
federal office, such individual may cast a provisional ballot prescribed under sections
9-232i to 9-232o, inclusive.
(e) If an individual described in subsection (a) of this section does not submit the
identification described in subsection (a) of this section as part of the individual's application for admission as an elector, and if the individual votes by absentee ballot in
an election for federal office, the individual shall enclose in the outer absentee ballot
envelope, and not in the inner envelope with the ballot: (1) A copy of a current and valid
photo identification, or (2) a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government
check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of
the voter. If an individual does not meet the requirements of this subsection in an election
for federal office, such individual's absentee ballot shall be processed in accordance
with the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of section 9-150a and treated
as a provisional ballot for federal office only, pursuant to sections 9-232i to 9-232o,
inclusive.
(June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 90; P.A. 05-188, S. 2.)
History: June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 effective January 1, 2004; P.A. 05-188 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit disclosure
of information submitted as part of application, except for name, address, date of birth and telephone number of applicant,
effective July 1, 2005.
Sec. 9-31l. Appeals of decisions re right of person to be or remain an elector.
(a)(1) A person who is denied admission as an elector may appeal a decision of an
admitting official of a town concerning the right of such person to be or remain an
elector. Any such appeal shall be made to the registrars of voters of such town, except
that if the admitting official who made such decision is a registrar of voters, the appeal
shall be made to the board for admission of electors of such town.
(2) Notice of an appeal shall be in writing and delivered to the registrars or to the
board for admission of electors. Within seven days after receipt of a notice of appeal,
the registrars or the board, as the case may be, shall give written notice of the time and
place where such appeal will be heard to the appellant and to the admitting official
whose decision is the subject of the appeal. Such appeal shall be heard within twenty-one days after notice of the appeal is delivered to the registrars or the board. Neither a
registrar whose decision is the subject of the appeal nor a registrar who is an appellant
shall be a voting member of the board which hears the appeal.
(3) The registrars or the board may receive sworn testimony and any other evidence
relating to the qualifications of such person to be or remain an elector.
(4) Within seven days after hearing an appeal, the registrars or the board shall render
a decision and shall send written notice of the decision to the appellant and the admitting
official whose decision was the subject of the appeal.
(b) (1) The person whose right to be or remain an elector is in dispute may appeal
the decision of the registrars or the board for the admission of electors under subsection
(a) of this section to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. If an appeal is not
made to the commission as provided in this subsection, the decision of the registrars or
the board shall be final.
(2) Any such appeal shall be in writing and filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission at its principal offices not later than fourteen days following the
decision of the registrars or the board. A copy of any such notice of appeal shall also
be delivered within such time to the registrars or the board that rendered the decision
under subsection (a) of this section.
(3) The registrars or the board shall, not later than ten days after receipt of a copy
of the notice of appeal, deliver the record of the hearing of the registrars or board under
subsection (a) of this section to the commission.
(4) The commission shall hear such appeal not later than twenty-one days after
notice of appeal is filed with the commission and shall be conducted in accordance
with the provisions of sections 4-176e to 4-180a, inclusive, and section 4-181a. The
commission may consider the record of the hearing delivered by the registrars or the
board and may examine witnesses, documents and any other evidence that it determines
may have a bearing on the proper determination of the issues brought on appeal. The
commission's hearing shall be recorded.
(5) The commission shall render its decision not later than sixty days after the close
of its hearing, except that an extension of time may be granted by the commission upon
application of any party that sets forth circumstances that the commission determines
is appropriate to granting an extension of time. The commission may also initiate an
extension of time for rendering its decision, after written notice to the parties, provided
all of the parties before the commission give their prior written consent.
(6) The decision of the commission shall determine the person's right to be or remain
an elector. If any such decision is adverse to such individual's right, the commission
shall order both registrars to remove the elector's name from the town's active and
inactive registry list and any enrollment list. Any person whose name has been so removed may reapply for admission as an elector with the registrars of voters of the same
town at any time. If such application is made within four years after the commission's
decision, both registrars may approve such application only after they find that there
has been a substantial change in the circumstances that provided the basis for the commission's decision and that the individual is eligible to be an elector. Registrars who
approve an individual's application for admission within this time period without a
substantial change in circumstances may be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the
commission in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-7b if the
commission determines, following a written complaint filed with the commission pursuant to said section 9-7b, that the registrars' action was without good cause and constitutes
a wilful violation of a prior order of the commission.
(P.A. 81-350, S. 1, 17; P.A. 05-235, S. 7.)
History: P.A. 05-235 redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (a)(1), redesignated existing Subsecs. (b), (c) and
(d) as Subdivs. (2), (3) and (4), respectively, of Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (a)(2) to prohibit a registrar who is an
appellant from being a voting member of the board hearing the appeal, made conforming changes throughout Subsec. (a)
and added new Subsec. (b) allowing appeal of decision of registrars or board to State Elections Enforcement Commission,
effective July 1, 2005.
Sec. 9-38. Deposit of final registry list. Supplementary list. The registrars of all
towns shall, on the second Friday preceding a regular election, deposit in the town clerk's
office the final registry list arranged as provided in section 9-35 and certified by them
to be correct, and shall retain a sufficient number of copies to be used by them at such
election for the purpose of checking the names of those who vote. They shall place on
such final list, in the order provided in section 9-35, the names of all persons who have
been admitted as electors. In each municipality said registrars shall also cause to be
prepared and printed and deposited in the town clerk's office a supplementary or updated
list containing the names and addresses of electors to be transferred, restored or added
to such list prior to the fourth before such election, provided in municipalities having a
population of less than twenty-five thousand, such additional names may be inserted in
writing in such final list. Such final registry list and supplementary or updated list deposited in the town clerk's office shall be on file in such office for public inspection for a
period of two years, and any elector may make copies thereof.
(1949 Rev., S. 1008; 1953, S. 540d; 1963, P.A. 211; P.A. 78-153, S. 22, 32; P.A. 83-391, S. 11, 24; P.A. 99-276, S. 2,
15; P.A. 05-235, S. 28.)
History: 1963 act provided same time for filing list prior to state and town elections and gave towns of under 25,000
option of printing supplementary list or writing names on list; P.A. 78-153 substituted "for a period of two years" for "until
the printing of the next such list", effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 83-391 deleted reference to board for admission of electors;
P.A. 99-276 added references to "or updated" list, effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 05-235 required that supplementary or
updated list be deposited in town clerk's office not later than "fourth" rather than "sixth" day before election, effective
January 1, 2006.
Sec. 9-46a. Restoration or granting of electoral privileges. (a) A person who
has been convicted of a felony and committed to confinement in a federal or other state
correctional institution or facility or community residence shall have such person's
electoral privileges restored upon submission of written or other satisfactory proof to
the admitting official before whom such person presents his or her qualifications to be
admitted as an elector, that all fines in conjunction with the conviction have been paid
and that such person has been discharged from confinement, and, if applicable, parole.
(b) Upon the release from confinement in a correctional institution or facility or a
community residence of a person who has been convicted of a felony and committed
to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction and, if applicable, the discharge of
such person from parole, (1) the person shall have the right to become an elector, (2)
the Commissioner of Correction shall give the person a document certifying that the
person has been released from such confinement and, if applicable, has been discharged
from parole, (3) if the person was an elector at the time of such felony conviction and,
after such release and any such discharge, is residing in the same municipality in which
the person resided at the time of such felony conviction, the person's electoral privileges
shall be restored upon submitting to an admitting official such document or other satisfactory proof that the person has been released from such confinement and, if applicable,
discharged from parole, and (4) if the person was an elector at the time of such felony
conviction and, after such release and any such discharge, is residing in a different
municipality or if the person was not an elector at the time of such felony conviction, the
person's electoral privileges shall be restored or granted upon submitting to an admitting
official (A) satisfactory proof of the person's qualifications to be admitted as an elector,
and (B) such document or other satisfactory proof that the person has been released
from confinement and, if applicable, discharged from parole. The provisions of subdivisions (1) to (4), inclusive, of this subsection shall not apply to any person convicted of
a felony for a violation of any provision of this title until such person has been discharged
from any parole or probation for such felony. No admitting official shall require that a
person under this subsection submit a document from the Commissioner of Correction,
as described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, in order to prove that the person has
been discharged from confinement and, if applicable, discharged from parole.
(c) The registrars of voters of the municipality in which a person is admitted as an
elector pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, within thirty days after the date
on which such person is admitted, shall notify the registrars of voters of the municipality
wherein such person resided at the time of such person's conviction that such person's
electoral rights have been so restored.
(d) The Commissioner of Correction shall establish procedures to inform those persons who have been convicted of a felony and committed to the custody of said commissioner for confinement in a correctional institution or facility or a community residence,
and are eligible to have their electoral privileges restored or granted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, of the right and procedures to have such privileges restored. The
Office of Adult Probation shall, within available appropriations, inform such persons
who are on probation on January 1, 2002, of their right to become electors and procedures
to have their electoral privileges restored, which shall be in accordance with subsections
(b) and (c) of this section.
(e) The Commissioner of Correction shall, on or before the fifteenth day of each
month, transmit to the Secretary of the State a list of all persons convicted of a felony
and committed to the custody of said commissioner and who, during the preceding
calendar month, have been released from confinement in a correctional institution or
facility or a community residence and, if applicable, discharged from parole. Such lists
shall include the names, birth dates and addresses of such persons, with the dates of their
convictions and the crimes of which such persons have been convicted. The Secretary of
the State shall transmit such lists to the registrars of the municipalities in which such
convicted persons resided at the time of their convictions and to the registrars of any
municipalities where the secretary believes such persons may be electors.
(P.A. 75-354, S. 1, 3; P.A. 76-22; P.A. 96-207, S. 3, 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 42, 121; P.A. 01-11, S. 3, 4; P.A.
05-235, S. 25.)
History: P.A. 76-22 amended original act to appear as Subsec. (a), added "or other satisfactory" to written proof, replaced
reference to registrars of municipality wherein person resided at time of conviction with "the admitting official before
whom he presents his qualifications to be admitted as an elector" and added Subsec. (b) re required notifications regarding
restoration of electoral rights; P.A. 96-207 added new Subsec. (c) requiring the Judicial Department, the Commissioner
of Correction and the Board of Parole to establish procedures re the right to have electoral privileges restored, effective
January 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 24, 1998; P.A. 01-11
amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re committal to confinement and eliminating requirement that person be discharged from probation before electoral privileges restored, added new Subsec. (b) re procedures upon release of a person
from confinement, redesignated former Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d), amended Subsec. (d) by eliminating
requirement that Judicial Department and Board of Parole also establish procedures and adding provisions re committal
to custody and sentence requiring Office of Adult Probation to inform persons on probation of their right to become electors,
added Subsec. (e) requiring Commissioner of Correction to transmit a monthly list to Secretary of the State, and made
technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, effective January 1, 2002; P.A. 05-235 amended Subsec. (b) to prohibit
admitting official from requiring person to submit document from Commissioner of Correction to prove discharge, effective
July 1, 2005.