2011 Connecticut Code
Title 9 Elections
Chapter 143 Electors: Qualifications and Admission
Sec. 9-35. Making and arrangement of preliminary list. Active and inactive registry lists. Removal of names. Change of address within municipality.

      Sec. 9-35. Making and arrangement of preliminary list. Active and inactive registry lists. Removal of names. Change of address within municipality. (a) The registrars, on the Tuesday of the fifth week before each regular election, shall be in session for the purpose of completing a correct list of all electors who will be entitled to vote at such election. Such registry list shall consist of an active registry list and an inactive registry list. Such session shall be held during such hours between nine o'clock a.m. and five o'clock p.m. as the registrars find necessary to complete the list. Notice of such session shall be given at least five days before the session by publication in a newspaper having a circulation in such municipality, if any, and by posting on the signpost therein, if any, or at some other exterior place near the office of the town clerk. Such publication shall not be required to be in the form of a legal advertisement.

      (b) At such session and on any day except on the day of an election or primary, the registrars shall remove from the list the name of each elector who has died, who has been disfranchised or who has confirmed in writing that the elector has moved out of the municipality, except electors entitled to remain on such list under the provisions of this chapter. An elector shall be deemed to have confirmed in writing that the elector has moved out of the municipality if (1) the elector has submitted a change of address form for purposes of a state motor vehicle operator's license, unless the elector states on the form that the change of address is not for voter registration purposes, (2) the elector has submitted a change of address form to a voter registration agency, as defined in section 9-23n, and such agency has provided such change of address to the registrars of voters, or (3) the registrars of voters have received a cancellation of previous registration from any other election official indicating that such elector has registered as an elector outside such municipality.

      (c) Whenever the registrars of voters of a town remove from the registry list the name of an elector who has submitted a change of address to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles or a voter registration agency under subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (b) of this section, indicating that the elector has moved out of such town, the registrars shall send the elector, by forwardable mail to the elector's former address from such list or current address in the new town, (1) a notice of removal, (2) information explaining how to have the elector's name restored to such list, which shall be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State, and (3) a mail-in voter registration application which can be used by the elector to apply for admission as an elector in the new town. If such notice, information and application are sent to the elector's former address and are returned undeliverable, the registrars shall mail such documents to the elector's address in the new town.

      (d) The registrars shall enter the names on such list by street and number of the house, when the houses are numbered, so that there shall be entered on the list first, the street, avenue or road; second, the number of the house or residence in numerical order or, if the registrars of any town find it more convenient, by odd and even numbers in numerical order; and third, the names of the electors in such house in alphabetical order. The names of any electors who cannot be so listed shall be listed alphabetically in the voting district wherein any such elector is a bona fide resident. The registrars of voters may consecutively number the names on the registry list, may include voter identification numbers for the names on the registry list, and may include a mark, as prescribed by the Secretary of the State, next to the name of each first-time registrant on the system who registers to vote on or after January 1, 2003, and does not provide identification with his or her mail-in voter registration application as provided in the Help America Vote Act, P.L. 107-252, as amended from time to time, provided such list shall comply in all respects with the requirements of law other than for the addition of such numbers and marks. The registrars shall not use Social Security numbers for any such voter identification numbers.

      (e) In any case in which the registrars have obtained reliable information of an elector's change of address within the municipality, they shall enter the name of such elector on the registry list at the place where the elector then resides, provided, if such reliable information is the National Change of Address System of the United States Postal Service, the registrar shall change the registry list and send the elector a notice of the change by forwardable mail and a postage prepaid preaddressed return form by which the elector may verify or correct the address information. If during the canvass the registrars determine that an elector has moved out of town and such elector has not confirmed in writing that the elector has moved out of the town, the registrars shall, not later than May first, send to the elector, by forwardable mail, a notice required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, together with a postage prepaid preaddressed return card on which the elector may state the elector's current address. In the year of a presidential preference primary, the registrars shall send such notice not earlier than the date of such primary. If the registrar does not receive the return card within thirty days after it is sent, the elector's name, including the name of an elector who has not voted in two consecutive federal elections, shall be placed on the inactive registry list for four years. At the expiration of such period of time on the inactive registry list, such name shall be removed from the registry list. If such elector applies to restore the elector's name to the active registry list or votes during such period, the elector's name shall be restored to the active registry list. Such registrars shall retain a duplicate copy or record of each such notice in their office or, if they do not have a permanent office, in the office space provided under section 9-5a, and shall note on such duplicate copy or record the date on which such notice was mailed. In each municipality, any elector, upon change of residence within the municipality, may cause the elector's registration to be transferred to the elector's new address by presenting to the registrars a signed request therefor, stating the elector's present address, the date the elector moved to such address and the address at which the elector was last registered. The registrars shall thereupon enter the elector's name on the list at the elector's new residence; provided no transfer of registration shall be made on the registry list on election day without the consent of both registrars.

      (1949 Rev., S. 1001; 1953, 1955, S. 537d; 1961, P.A. 61; 1963, P.A. 174; 645, S. 5; P.A. 75-287, S. 1; P.A. 77-283, S. 1; P.A. 79-189, S. 4, 9; P.A. 83-213, S. 4; 83-391, S. 9, 24; 83-475, S. 6, 43; P.A. 84-146, S. 4; P.A. 88-37, S. 2; 88-48, S. 4, 5; P.A. 89-19, S. 1, 4; P.A. 94-121, S. 23, 33; P.A. 97-154, S. 24, 27; P.A. 98-67, S. 1, 10; P.A. 99-112, S. 5; P.A. 00-66, S. 18; P.A. 02-130, S. 16; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 93.)

      History: 1961 act added requirement that notice of removal of an elector's name must specify the cause of removal and voting privileges to which elector is entitled; 1963 acts made technical change in language; P.A. 75-287 added provision that at any time prior to the session held on the Tuesday of the fifth week the registrars may notify an elector that his name will be removed from the registry list 60 days after the sending of the notice unless a transfer or continuance is effected except that if notice is sent within 60 days of that session, the name will be removed at that session and, unless a transfer or continuance is effected not later than 7 days before such election, the registration shall remain cancelled and also provided that if notice is sent within 60 days before the session on the third Saturday before a primary, the name shall be removed after such primary, further provided that where a registration within a municipality is being transferred to a new address no changes shall be made during the 5 days before a primary, caucus or convention; P.A. 77-283 changed wording but made no substantive change; P.A. 79-189 changed reference to "third Saturday" before a primary to "fourteenth day"; P.A. 83-213 deleted obsolete provisions concerning registrars' duties relating to making of preliminary registry list; P.A. 83-391 authorized removal of elector's name from registry list without notice if elector has indicated that he is no longer a bona fide resident of the municipality; P.A. 83-475 permitted change of address within municipality to be made on election day with permission of both registrars; P.A. 84-146 included a reference to posting of notice on a place other than a signpost; P.A. 88-37 authorized the registrar to publish a legal notice of an elector's removal as an alternative to sending a notice of removal if the notice of canvass was returned to the registrar marked undeliverable; P.A. 88-48 required session to be held "during such hours between nine o'clock a.m. and five o'clock p.m. as the registrars find necessary to complete the list" instead of "continuously from nine o'clock a.m. to five o'clock p.m."; P.A. 89-19 deleted provision requiring list to be alphabetical in each municipality having population of less than 5,000; P.A. 94-121 specified that registry list consists of active and inactive lists, substantially modified procedures for removing electors' names from list and provided for certain electors' names to be placed on inactive list, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 97-154 deleted provision specifying that four-year period, during which elector's name must be on inactive registry list, starts on date notice was sent, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-67 authorized registrars to send notice of removal to elector's current address in the new town and to include voter identification numbers for names on registry list, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-112 made technical changes; P.A. 00-66 divided section into Subsecs. and made technical changes; P.A. 02-130 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that publication of notice of registrars' session not required to be in form of legal advertisement, effective May 10, 2002; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (d) to allow registrars to include mark next to name of first-time registrant who does not provide identification with mail-in voter registration application, and amended Subsec. (e) to require inclusion of name of elector who has not voted in two consecutive federal elections on inactive registry list, effective January 1, 2004.

      See Secs. 54-240g and 54-240k re confidentiality of address of participant in address confidentiality program.

      Cited. 231 C. 602.