Signed by Governor Ned Lamont

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that establishes no-excuse absentee voting and various other elections provisions in Connecticut.

Highlights:

• Repeals the requirement for cause, such as military service, disability, or temporary absence, in order to be issued an absentee ballot (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes any elector eligible to vote in a primary election, general election, or referendum to vote via absentee ballot after submitting an absentee ballot application (Sec. 1).

• Amends the process for returning absentee ballots, including the following changes (Sec. 2):

• Ballots may be returned in a single, sealable return envelope which includes a privacy sleeve, rather than the previous two envelope method;

• The legal statement on the return envelope includes only an attestation that the voter is an eligible elector in their municipality, rather than an attestation that they meet one of the authorized reasons for absentee voting; and

• Return envelopes must feature a label generated by the centralized voter registration system containing a unique ballot identification number and barcode.

• Requires the Secretary of State to provide the Department of Correction an application for absentee ballot form for use within the department’s facilities (Sec. 3-4).

• Requires town clerks to send absentee ballots electronically if requested by a voter, including for presidential ballots (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes voters to cure their absentee ballots if they failed to sign the return envelope (Sec. 7).

• Requires the creation of absentee ballot tracking software (Sec. 8).

• Establishes procedures for voters to request that absentee ballot applications automatically be sent to them for eligible elections (Sec. 9).

• Authorizes the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) to investigate and act on alleged violations of elections laws concerning absentee ballots (Sec. 22).

• Authorizes the Attorney General to seek certain court relief to prevent or resolve interference in elections for federal offices (Sec. 34).

• Authorizes moderators, under certain circumstances, to use different tabulators for conducting recounts than those used in the election (Sec. 35-37).

• Authorizes citizens who are 17 years old and who will be 18 years old before election day to vote by absentee ballot or by early voting for that election (Sec. 40).

• Requires political party rules to ensure that the party complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (Sec. 41).

• Prohibits law enforcement from knowingly being within 250 feet of an elections site, with certain exceptions, including to check voter qualifications (Sec. 57).

• Prohibits anyone from wearing a mask or other covering within 250 feet of an election site, with certain exceptions such as weather conditions and medical necessity (Sec. 57).

• Increases the penalty for subsequent offenses of an existing prohibition against harassing election workers to interfere with their duties, and expands these protections to assistant town clerks (Sec. 58).

• Classifies the unauthorized providing of a tabulator or tabulator part to a third party as a class D felony (Sec. 59).

• Prohibits tampering with absentee ballot drop boxes or the ballots within them, and provides penalties (Sec. 60).

• Authorizes the Attorney General to investigate and take action against an entity that establishes a policy interfering with any individual’s civil rights, including by physical obstruction (Sec. 61).

• Establishes a task force to study absentee ballot access in certain cities and boroughs in the state that are unconsolidated with the towns in which they are located (Sec. 70).

• Establishes a task force to study achieving 100% voter participation, and authorizes municipalities to conduct pilot programs to achieve this goal (Sec. 71-72).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes no-excuse absentee voting and various other elections provisions in Connecticut.

Highlights:

• Repeals the requirement for cause, such as military service, disability, or temporary absence, in order to be issued an absentee ballot (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes any elector eligible to vote in a primary election, general election, or referendum to vote via absentee ballot after submitting an absentee ballot application (Sec. 1).

• Amends the process for returning absentee ballots, including the following changes (Sec. 2):

• Ballots may be returned in a single, sealable return envelope which includes a privacy sleeve, rather than the previous two envelope method;

• The legal statement on the return envelope includes only an attestation that the voter is an eligible elector in their municipality, rather than an attestation that they meet one of the authorized reasons for absentee voting; and

• Return envelopes must feature a label generated by the centralized voter registration system containing a unique ballot identification number and barcode.

• Requires the Secretary of State to provide the Department of Correction an application for absentee ballot form for use within the department’s facilities (Sec. 3-4).

• Requires town clerks to send absentee ballots electronically if requested by a voter, including for presidential ballots (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes voters to cure their absentee ballots if they failed to sign the return envelope (Sec. 7).

• Requires the creation of absentee ballot tracking software (Sec. 8).

• Establishes procedures for voters to request that absentee ballot applications automatically be sent to them for eligible elections (Sec. 9).

• Authorizes the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) to investigate and act on alleged violations of elections laws concerning absentee ballots (Sec. 22).

• Authorizes the Attorney General to seek certain court relief to prevent or resolve interference in elections for federal offices (Sec. 34).

• Authorizes moderators, under certain circumstances, to use different tabulators for conducting recounts than those used in the election (Sec. 35-37).

• Authorizes citizens who are 17 years old and who will be 18 years old before election day to vote by absentee ballot or by early voting for that election (Sec. 40).

• Requires political party rules to ensure that the party complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (Sec. 41).

• Prohibits law enforcement from knowingly being within 250 feet of an elections site, with certain exceptions, including to check voter qualifications (Sec. 57).

• Prohibits anyone from wearing a mask or other covering within 250 feet of an election site, with certain exceptions such as weather conditions and medical necessity (Sec. 57).

• Increases the penalty for subsequent offenses of an existing prohibition against harassing election workers to interfere with their duties, and expands these protections to assistant town clerks (Sec. 58).

• Classifies the unauthorized providing of a tabulator or tabulator part to a third party as a class D felony (Sec. 59).

• Prohibits tampering with absentee ballot drop boxes or the ballots within them, and provides penalties (Sec. 60).

• Authorizes the Attorney General to investigate and take action against an entity that establishes a policy interfering with any individual’s civil rights, including by physical obstruction (Sec. 61).

• Establishes a task force to study absentee ballot access in certain cities and boroughs in the state that are unconsolidated with the towns in which they are located (Sec. 70).

• Establishes a task force to study achieving 100% voter participation, and authorizes municipalities to conduct pilot programs to achieve this goal (Sec. 71-72).

Full Bill Text