2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 9 - Elections
Chapter 143 - Electors: Qualifications and Admission
Section 9-23g - Mail-in application for admission.

(a) In addition to the procedures for admission of electors under sections 9-19b, 9-19c, 9-19e, 9-20 and 9-31, any person may apply to a registrar of voters of the town of his residence for admission as an elector in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 9-23h.

(b) The Secretary of the State shall prescribe, and provide to registrars of voters, town clerks and voter registration agencies, as defined in section 9-23n, application forms and other materials necessary to complete such application and admission process. The Secretary of the State, registrars of voters and town clerks shall provide a reasonable number of such forms and materials to any elector who requests such forms and materials. The Secretary shall also, in the course of the Secretary's elections duties, prepare instructions and related materials describing procedures for such application and admission process and shall provide the materials to registrars of voters and town clerks. The application shall contain the information required under section 9-23h. All statements of the applicant shall be made under the penalties of perjury. The application for admission as an elector shall include a statement that (1) specifies each eligibility requirement, (2) contains an attestation that the application meets each such requirement, and (3) requires the signature of the applicant under penalty of perjury. Nothing in this section or section 9-23h shall require that the application be executed in the state. An applicant who is unable to write may cause the applicant's name to be signed on the application form by an authorized agent who shall, in the space provided for the signature, write the name of the applicant followed by the word “by” and the agent's own signature. The completed application may be mailed or returned in person to the office of the registrars of voters or the office of the town clerk of the applicant's town of residence or a voter registration agency. If the applicant entrusts the applicant's application to another person or to such a voter registration agency for mailing or return to the registrars of voters, such person or agency shall immediately mail or return the application. Any such voter registration agency shall also provide the applicant with an application receipt, on which the agency shall record (A) the date that the agency received the application, using an official date stamp bearing the name of the agency, and (B) the party affiliation, if any, of the applicant. The agency shall provide such receipt whether the application was submitted in person or by mail. The town clerk shall promptly forward any application which the town clerk receives to the registrars of voters. Such application form shall be provided by or authorized by the Secretary of the State.

(c) Forthwith upon receipt of a registration application in the office of the registrars of voters, the registrar shall mark such date on the application and review the application to determine whether the applicant has properly completed it and is legally qualified to register. Forthwith upon completing his review, the registrar shall (1) indicate on the application whether the application has been accepted or rejected, (2) mail a notice to the applicant, (3) indicate on the application the date on which such notice is mailed, and (4) provide a copy of such notice to the other registrar. If the registrar determines that the applicant has not properly completed the application or is not legally qualified to register, the notice shall indicate that the application has been rejected and shall state any reason for rejection. If the registrar determines that the applicant has properly completed the application and is legally qualified to register, the notice shall indicate that the application has been accepted. A notice of acceptance or a notice of rejection shall be sent (A) not later than four days after receipt of an application during the period beginning on the forty-ninth day before an election and ending on the twenty-first day before such election, (B) on the day of receipt of an application if it is received (i) during the period beginning on the twentieth day before such election and ending on the seventh day before such election, (ii) during the period beginning on the sixth day before an election and ending on election day if the application has been received by the seventh day before an election by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles or by a voter registration agency, (iii) during the period beginning on the twenty-first day before a primary and ending on the fifth day before a primary, or (iv) during the period beginning on the fourth day before a primary and ending at twelve o’clock noon on the last weekday before a primary, if the application has been postmarked by the fifth day before the primary and is received in the office of the registrars of voters during such period or if the application is received by the fifth day before a primary by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles or by a voter registration agency, and (C) within ten days of receipt of an application at any other time. A notice of acceptance shall be sent by first-class mail with instructions on the envelope that it be returned if not deliverable at the address shown on the envelope. A notice of acceptance shall indicate the effective date of the applicant's registration and enrollment, the date of the next regularly scheduled election or primary in which the applicant shall be eligible to vote and the applicant's precinct and polling place. If a notice of acceptance of an application is returned undelivered, the registrars shall forthwith take the necessary action in accordance with section 9-35 or 9-43, notwithstanding the May first deadline in section 9-35. An applicant for admission as an elector pursuant to this section and section 9-23h may only be admitted as an elector by a registrar of voters of the town of his residence. Not later than December thirty-first, annually, the Secretary of the State shall establish an official calendar of all deadlines set forth in this subsection for regularly scheduled elections and primaries to be held in the following calendar year.

(d) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the privileges of an elector for any applicant for admission under this section and section 9-23h shall attach immediately upon approval by the registrar, and the registrars shall enter the name of the elector on the registry list.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, if a mailed application is postmarked, or if a delivered application is received in the office of the registrars of voters, after the seventh day before an election or after the fifth day before a primary, the privileges of an elector shall not attach until the day after such election or primary, as the case may be. In such event, the registrars of voters may contact such applicant, either by telephone or mail, in order to inform such applicant of the effect of such late received mail-in application and any applicable deadline for applying for admission in person.

(3) If an application is received after the seventh day before an election or after the fifth day before a primary by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles or by a voter registration agency, the privileges of an elector shall not attach until the day after the election or primary, as the case may be, or on the day the registrar approves it, whichever is later.

(4) If on the day of an election or primary, the name of an applicant does not appear on the official check list, such applicant may present to the moderator at the polls either a notice of acceptance received through the mail or an application receipt that was previously provided to the applicant pursuant to section 9-19e, subsection (b) of section 9-19h, subsection (b) of this section or section 9-23n. If an applicant presents said notice or receipt, and either the registrars of voters find the original application or the applicant submits a new application at the polls, the registrar, or assistant registrar upon notice to and approval by the registrar, shall add such person's name and address to the official check list on such day and the person shall be allowed to vote if otherwise eligible to vote and the person presents to the checkers at the polling place a preprinted form of identification pursuant to subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-261.

(e) A registration application filed under this section shall be rejected if the application (1) has not been signed or dated by the applicant or the authorized agent of the applicant pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, (2) does not indicate the applicant's date of birth or bona fide residence, (3) does not indicate United States citizenship, provided the registrars of voters have contacted such applicant to provide an opportunity to answer such question, or (4) is determined by the Secretary of the State to be substantially defective. No registration application filed under this section shall be rejected if the application fails to provide the applicant's Social Security number or the zip code of the applicant's bona fide residence.

(f) Upon admission of an applicant under subsection (d) of this section, who indicated on his registration application that he changed residence since voting last in Connecticut, the registrar of voters of the town of such applicant's current residence shall notify the registrar of any other town who accepted the voter's last registration and the registrar of the town of the voter's last residence, if different. Notification shall be made upon a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State. A registrar receiving such a notification shall delete the elector's name from the registry list.

(g) All provisions of the general statutes relating to electors, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section, shall apply to electors admitted under the provisions of this section.

(h) The Secretary of the State may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the purposes of this section and section 9-23h.

(P.A. 87-409, S. 1, 3; P.A. 88-344, S. 1, 5; P.A. 91-351, S. 24, 28; P.A. 93-386, S. 1, 5; P.A. 94-121, S. 18, 33; P.A. 97-67, S. 1, 9; 97-154, S. 20, 27; P.A. 99-112, S. 1; P.A. 02-83, S. 4, 5; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 91; P.A. 04-113, S. 2; P.A. 07-194, S. 42; P.A. 15-224, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 88-344 inserted new Subsec. (a) defining “witnessing official”, relettered former Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b) and substituted “in accordance with the provisions of this section and sections 9-23h and 9-23i” for “by mail” in Subsec. (b), relettered former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and amended Subsec. (c) to require each application form to have a receipt attached and secretary to prepare and provide materials, to substitute “witnessing official” for “notary public, commissioner of the superior court or justice of the peace”, to substantially modify procedure for execution of application, to allow application to be returned in person instead of by mail only and to office of town clerk instead of to registrar of voters only and to restrict reproduction of form, inserted new Subsec. (d) re restriction on witnessing and certifying execution of applications by candidates, relettered former Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (e) and substantially amended procedures in Subsec. (e) for review of applications and notification of applicants, repealed former Subsec. (d) and substituted new Subsec. (f) re time of attachment of privileges of an elector, relettered former Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (g) and substantially revised provisions re when an application shall be rejected, not rejected, relettered former Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (h) and former Subsec. (g) as Subsec. (i) and added Subsec. (j) re adoption of regulations; P.A. 91-351 added Subsec. (e)(B)(i) re notice requirement for application received during period beginning on twentieth day before election and ending on fourteenth day before election and substituted “fourteenth” for “twenty-first” day in Subsec. (f)(2); P.A. 93-386 repealed requirement that execution of applications be witnessed, deleting former Subsecs. (a) and (d) and all other references to witnessing officials and relettering remaining Subsecs. accordingly, amended relettered Subsec. (b) to require that applicant's statements be made under penalties for false swearing before election officials instead of false statement and that elector's oath be self-administered by applicant, to provide that this section and Sec. 9-23h do not require application to be executed in the state and to allow member of immediate family of applicant or designee of ill or disabled applicant to mail or return application, amended relettered Subsec. (c) by adding “Forthwith” and requiring registrars to take necessary action in accordance with Sec. 9-35 or 9-43 if notice of acceptance of application is returned undelivered, instead of requiring registrars to reject if so returned within ten days, amended Subdiv. (1) of relettered Subsec. (d) to require privileges of an elector to attach immediately upon approval of application by registrar instead of on tenth day after registrar mails notice of acceptance to applicant and deleted former Subdiv. (3) and amended relettered Subdiv. (3) for consistency, amended Subdiv. (2) by substituting “If a mailed application is postmarked, or if a delivered application is received” for “If an application is received” and amended relettered Subsec. (e) to prohibit an application from being rejected for failure to provide applicant's Social Security number, effective January 1, 1994; P.A. 94-121 amended Subsec. (b) by adding references to voter registration agencies, repealing requirements that form have receipt attached, be completed by applicant and be returned by specified persons and that applicant self-administer the oath, substituting “penalties of perjury” for “penalties for false swearing”, adding sentence re statement required to be included in application, and repealing restrictions on reproduction of form and adding sentence requiring form to be provided by or authorized by secretary of the state, amended Subsec. (c) by inserting new subclause (ii) re application received by fourteenth day before election by commissioner of motor vehicles or voter registration agency and requiring registrars to act “forthwith” if notice is returned, “notwithstanding the May first deadline in section 9-35”, and renumbering former subclause (ii) to subclause (iii), added new Subsec. (d)(3) re application received after fourteenth day before an election by commissioner of motor vehicles or voter registration agency and renumbered former Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4), and amended Subsec. (e) by deleting references to birthplace and sex, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 97-67 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting “on the fifth day before a primary” for “at twelve o’clock noon on the last weekday before a primary” in subclause (B)(iii), adding new subclause (B)(iv) re postmarked applications, and deleting text for consistency with such changes and amended Subsec. (d)(2) and (3) by inserting “or after the fifth day before a primary” and “or primary, as the case may be”, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 97-154 amended Subsec. (b) to require person or agency entrusted to mail or return an application to do so immediately, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-112 made technical changes; P.A. 02-83 amended Subsec. (b) to make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality and to add provisions requiring voter registration agencies to provide applicants with application receipts, and amended Subsec. (d)(4) to establish procedure under which applicant may submit receipt to moderator and to revise procedure under which applicant may submit notice of acceptance to moderator, effective January 1, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (e)(3) by inserting “provided the registrars of voters have contacted such applicant to provide an opportunity to answer such question”, effective January 1, 2004; P.A. 04-113 amended Subsec. (b) to designate existing recording requirement for voter registration agency as Subpara. (A) and add Subpara. (B) requiring voter registration agency to record any party affiliation of applicant on receipt, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 07-194 amended Subsec. (g)(2) to authorize registrars to contact applicants and inform them of effect of late received application and deadline for applying in person, effective July 5, 2007; P.A. 15-224 amended Subsec. (c) to change “fourteenth” to “seventh” in Subpara. (B)(i) and (ii), change “thirteenth” to “sixth” in Subpara. (B)(ii) and make technical changes, amended Subsec. (d) to change “fourteenth” to “seventh” in Subdivs. (2) and (3) and amended Subsec. (f) to make technical changes, effective July 7, 2015.

See Sec. 1-2a re construction of references to “United States mail”, “postmark” or “registered or certified mail”.