2022 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 9 - Elections
Chapter 145 - Absentee Voting
Section 9-159o. (Formerly Sec. 9-151a). - Voting in person after ballot has been sent; exception for certain elections, primaries and referenda held in 2020 and 2021.
(a) Any elector who has returned an absentee ballot to the municipal clerk and who finds such elector is able to vote in person shall proceed before ten o'clock a.m. on election, primary or referendum day to the municipal clerk's office and request that such elector's ballot be withdrawn. The municipal clerk shall remove the ballot from the sealed package and shall mark the serially-numbered outer envelope, which shall remain unopened, “rejected” and note the reasons for rejection. The elector shall also endorse the envelope. The rejected ballot shall then be returned to the sealed package until delivered on election, primary or referendum day to the registrars of voters in accordance with section 9-140c. The municipal clerk shall then give the elector a signed statement directed to the moderator of the voting district in which the elector resides stating that the elector has withdrawn such elector's absentee ballot and may vote in person. Upon delivery of the statement by the elector to the moderator, the moderator shall cause the absentee indication next to the name of the elector to be stricken from the official checklist and the elector may then have such elector's name checked and vote in person. Unless absentee ballots are to be counted in the respective polling places pursuant to subsection (b) of section 9-147a, the municipal clerk shall also cause the absentee indication next to the name of the elector to be stricken from the duplicate checklist to be used by the absentee ballot counters.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, for the state election in 2020, and any election, primary or referendum held on or after June 23, 2021, but prior to November 3, 2021, any elector who has returned an absentee ballot to the municipal clerk and who finds such elector is able to vote in person shall proceed before five o'clock p.m. on the fourth day before such election, primary or referendum to the municipal clerk's office and request that such elector's ballot be withdrawn.
(P.A. 75-300, S. 2, 9; P.A. 77-187, S. 5, 9; P.A. 78-153, S. 20, 32; P.A. 79-363, S. 19, 38; P.A. 84-319, S. 21, 49; P.A. 86-179, S. 42, 53; P.A. 95-171, S. 12, 14; P.A. 96-119, S. 5, 14; P.A. 18-124, S. 8; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-3, S. 7; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-4, S. 7; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 137.)
History: P.A. 77-187 changed time of count to twelve noon from “not earlier than two p.m.”; P.A. 78-153 changed “town” to “municipal” clerk, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-363 made technical changes; in 1979 transferred Sec. 9-147c to Sec. 9-151a; P.A. 84-319 amended section to provide a uniform procedure for checking and marking ballots; P.A. 86-179 made technical changes and substituted “checklist” for “registry list”; Sec. 9-151a transferred to Sec. 9-159o in 1987; P.A. 95-171 changed the time before which ballots must be withdrawn from before noon to before ten a.m., effective January 1, 1996; P.A. 96-119 deleted “at twelve o'clock noon,” effective May 24, 1996; P.A. 18-124 deleted provision re notation by clerk in case of central counting, added provisions re counting of absentee ballots in respective polling places and striking absentee indication, and replaced “clerk” with “municipal clerk”, effective June 6, 2018; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-3 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), added Subsec. (b) re state election in 2020 and made technical changes, effective July 31, 2020; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-4 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical change and amended Subsec. (b) to replace “last day” with “fourth day”, effective October 2, 2020; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 amended Subsec. (b) to add provisions re certain elections, primaries and referenda held prior to November 3, 2021, effective June 23, 2021.
