Per Curiam.
The dispositive issue in this case is whether a challenge to the constitutionality of our minority representation statute, General Statutes § 9-167a, comes within the jurisdictional confines of General Statutes, § 9-328,1 which, under narrowly [497]*497defined circumstances, provides expedited judicial procedures for the resolution of election disputes. The [498]*498case arises out of a New Britain municipal election for aldermen at large. The petitioners, James Scheyd [499]*499et al.,2 filed an action pursuant to § 9-328 to prevent the certification of the respondents, Peter J. Bezrucik et al.,3 as duly elected municipal aldermen. They alleged that the respondent Richard T. Murphy, the town clerk of the city of New Britain, was intending to make such a certification in reliance on the provisions of § 9-167a, which the petitioners alleged to be violative of various provisions of the state and federal constitutions. In order to invoke the special appeal procedures of General Statutes § 9-325,4 the parties agreed upon a stip[500]*500ulated finding of facts, and the trial court thereupon certified to this court its decision on five disputed issues of law. The trial court concluded that it had jurisdiction to proceed under § 9-328 but determined that, on the merits, the plaintiffs could not prevail.5 We disagree [501]*501with the trial court’s interpretation of § 9-328 and therefore, without reaching the merits, conclude that the case must be dismissed.
The underlying facts and applicable statutory principles are undisputed. The city of New Britain elects its fifteen aldermen in an election at large. For the aldermanic election held on November 3, 1987, the Democratic party nominated fifteen candidates, all of whom outpolled the ten Republican party candidates, the five Independent party candidates and the one petitioning candidate. Under applicable provisions of § 9-167a, no more than ten aldermen selected in an at-large election may be members of the same political party. The petitioners are the five lowest ranking Democratic nominees, who would have been elected but for § 9-167a. Conversely, the respondents are the five Republican nominees who, because they received the [502]*502next highest number of votes, will be deemed to have been elected by the terms of § 9-167a.
Recognizing that, in compliance with § 9-167a, the town clerk would certify the five respondents to the Secretary of the state of Connecticut as having been elected to the office of alderman, the petitioners initiated the present litigation. The sole substantive allegation in their complaint was that the town clerk proposed to implement a statute that, in their view, deprived them of fundamental state and federal constitutional rights. The trial court concluded that such a complaint stated a proper cause of action under § 9-328. We disagree.
In order to take advantage of the expedited procedures that § 9-328 prescribes for the correction of errors in municipal elections, an elector or a candidate must state one of the limited types of claims that the statute makes cognizable. Absent an allegation of a violation of a specific election statute referred to in the text of § 9-328, § 9-328 applies only when an elector or a candidate claims to have been “aggrieved by any ruling of any election official in connection with an election for any municipal office . . . or . . . [claims] that there has been a mistake in the count of votes cast for any such office at such election . . . . ”
In the present case, the parties have stipulated that the petitioners were electors and candidates and that the town clerk has the status of an election official for the purpose of certifying election results to the secretary of the state. The petitioners have neither alleged a violation of one of the statutes specially referenced in § 9-328 nor do they claim that the town clerk made a “mistake” in the vote count. The parties agree, therefore, that the crucial dispute, for jurisdictional purposes under § 9-328, is whether the petitioners’ constitutional challenge to § 9-167a constitutes a claim that they are “aggrieved by any ruling of any election official.”
[503]*503The question of what constitutes a “ruling” by an election official was addressed by this court in Wrinn v. Dunleavy, 186 Conn. 125, 440 A.2d 261 (1982). In a footnote squarely on point, we stated: “The expedited review provided by § 9-325 may be invoked to obtain review of decisions on complaints brought under §§ 9-324, 9-328, and 9-329a. It is not sufficient, however, that the plaintiff allege or even that the parties agree that the complaint is brought pursuant to one of these sections, because the review provided by § 9-325 is available only when the original complaint actually states a cause of action cognizable under §§ 9-324, 9-328, or 9-329a. Such a complaint must concern a ruling of an election official or a mistake in the count of votes. Id. A plaintiff may not use these sections to challenge a law or regulation under which the election or primary election is held by claiming aggrievement in the election official’s obedience to the law. In such a case the plaintiff may well be aggrieved by the law or regulation, but he or she is not aggrieved by the election official’s rulings which are in conformity with the law.” Id., 134 n.10. Relying on Wrinn v. Dunleavy, we subsequently dismissed an appeal under § 9-325 of a judgment upholding the constitutionality of a local charter provision for minority representation in a complaint filed under § 9-328. Marshall v. Kotecki, (Supreme Court Docket No. 11126) (1983).
If we adhere to Wrinn v. Dunleavy’s interpretation of § 9-328, the petitioners clearly cannot prevail. They offer two reasons why we should depart from this precedent. As a matter of interpretation, they claim that they were aggrieved by the town clerk’s ruling, because the town clerk had to make a choice whether he would comply with § 9-167a, the minority representation statute, or with § 9-169c,6 the statute govern[504]*504ing elections at large. As a matter of policy, they maintain that a narrow construction of § 9-828 is illogical because expedited judicial review is at least as important for matters of potential constitutional significance as it is for technical violations of election rules. We are unpersuaded.
The petitioners’ argument of aggrievement by the town clerk’s ruling rests on a perceived incompatibility between the mandate of the minority representation statute, which permits no more than ten aldermen to be members of the same political party, and the provisions of § 1141 of the New Britain charter, as modified by § 9-169c, which permit a political party to nominate, and New Britain electors to vote for, as many as fifteen candidates for the position of alderman.7 The petitioners maintain that the statutes put the town clerk in the position of choosing between two presumptively valid constitutional enactments and therefore require him to make a § 9-828 “ruling.” We do not agree. Whatever the manner in which the city of New [505]
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Per Curiam.
The dispositive issue in this case is whether a challenge to the constitutionality of our minority representation statute, General Statutes § 9-167a, comes within the jurisdictional confines of General Statutes, § 9-328,1 which, under narrowly [497]*497defined circumstances, provides expedited judicial procedures for the resolution of election disputes. The [498]*498case arises out of a New Britain municipal election for aldermen at large. The petitioners, James Scheyd [499]*499et al.,2 filed an action pursuant to § 9-328 to prevent the certification of the respondents, Peter J. Bezrucik et al.,3 as duly elected municipal aldermen. They alleged that the respondent Richard T. Murphy, the town clerk of the city of New Britain, was intending to make such a certification in reliance on the provisions of § 9-167a, which the petitioners alleged to be violative of various provisions of the state and federal constitutions. In order to invoke the special appeal procedures of General Statutes § 9-325,4 the parties agreed upon a stip[500]*500ulated finding of facts, and the trial court thereupon certified to this court its decision on five disputed issues of law. The trial court concluded that it had jurisdiction to proceed under § 9-328 but determined that, on the merits, the plaintiffs could not prevail.5 We disagree [501]*501with the trial court’s interpretation of § 9-328 and therefore, without reaching the merits, conclude that the case must be dismissed.
The underlying facts and applicable statutory principles are undisputed. The city of New Britain elects its fifteen aldermen in an election at large. For the aldermanic election held on November 3, 1987, the Democratic party nominated fifteen candidates, all of whom outpolled the ten Republican party candidates, the five Independent party candidates and the one petitioning candidate. Under applicable provisions of § 9-167a, no more than ten aldermen selected in an at-large election may be members of the same political party. The petitioners are the five lowest ranking Democratic nominees, who would have been elected but for § 9-167a. Conversely, the respondents are the five Republican nominees who, because they received the [502]*502next highest number of votes, will be deemed to have been elected by the terms of § 9-167a.
Recognizing that, in compliance with § 9-167a, the town clerk would certify the five respondents to the Secretary of the state of Connecticut as having been elected to the office of alderman, the petitioners initiated the present litigation. The sole substantive allegation in their complaint was that the town clerk proposed to implement a statute that, in their view, deprived them of fundamental state and federal constitutional rights. The trial court concluded that such a complaint stated a proper cause of action under § 9-328. We disagree.
In order to take advantage of the expedited procedures that § 9-328 prescribes for the correction of errors in municipal elections, an elector or a candidate must state one of the limited types of claims that the statute makes cognizable. Absent an allegation of a violation of a specific election statute referred to in the text of § 9-328, § 9-328 applies only when an elector or a candidate claims to have been “aggrieved by any ruling of any election official in connection with an election for any municipal office . . . or . . . [claims] that there has been a mistake in the count of votes cast for any such office at such election . . . . ”
In the present case, the parties have stipulated that the petitioners were electors and candidates and that the town clerk has the status of an election official for the purpose of certifying election results to the secretary of the state. The petitioners have neither alleged a violation of one of the statutes specially referenced in § 9-328 nor do they claim that the town clerk made a “mistake” in the vote count. The parties agree, therefore, that the crucial dispute, for jurisdictional purposes under § 9-328, is whether the petitioners’ constitutional challenge to § 9-167a constitutes a claim that they are “aggrieved by any ruling of any election official.”
[503]*503The question of what constitutes a “ruling” by an election official was addressed by this court in Wrinn v. Dunleavy, 186 Conn. 125, 440 A.2d 261 (1982). In a footnote squarely on point, we stated: “The expedited review provided by § 9-325 may be invoked to obtain review of decisions on complaints brought under §§ 9-324, 9-328, and 9-329a. It is not sufficient, however, that the plaintiff allege or even that the parties agree that the complaint is brought pursuant to one of these sections, because the review provided by § 9-325 is available only when the original complaint actually states a cause of action cognizable under §§ 9-324, 9-328, or 9-329a. Such a complaint must concern a ruling of an election official or a mistake in the count of votes. Id. A plaintiff may not use these sections to challenge a law or regulation under which the election or primary election is held by claiming aggrievement in the election official’s obedience to the law. In such a case the plaintiff may well be aggrieved by the law or regulation, but he or she is not aggrieved by the election official’s rulings which are in conformity with the law.” Id., 134 n.10. Relying on Wrinn v. Dunleavy, we subsequently dismissed an appeal under § 9-325 of a judgment upholding the constitutionality of a local charter provision for minority representation in a complaint filed under § 9-328. Marshall v. Kotecki, (Supreme Court Docket No. 11126) (1983).
If we adhere to Wrinn v. Dunleavy’s interpretation of § 9-328, the petitioners clearly cannot prevail. They offer two reasons why we should depart from this precedent. As a matter of interpretation, they claim that they were aggrieved by the town clerk’s ruling, because the town clerk had to make a choice whether he would comply with § 9-167a, the minority representation statute, or with § 9-169c,6 the statute govern[504]*504ing elections at large. As a matter of policy, they maintain that a narrow construction of § 9-828 is illogical because expedited judicial review is at least as important for matters of potential constitutional significance as it is for technical violations of election rules. We are unpersuaded.
The petitioners’ argument of aggrievement by the town clerk’s ruling rests on a perceived incompatibility between the mandate of the minority representation statute, which permits no more than ten aldermen to be members of the same political party, and the provisions of § 1141 of the New Britain charter, as modified by § 9-169c, which permit a political party to nominate, and New Britain electors to vote for, as many as fifteen candidates for the position of alderman.7 The petitioners maintain that the statutes put the town clerk in the position of choosing between two presumptively valid constitutional enactments and therefore require him to make a § 9-828 “ruling.” We do not agree. Whatever the manner in which the city of New [505]*505Britain, guided by § 9-169c, chooses to operate the process of nominating and voting for candidates for aider-men, the outcome of such an election is governed by § 9-167a, which limits the representation of a majority party. For the purposes of § 9-328, it does not matter whether a municipality has recourse to a primary or to a general election to decide how to allocate the permissible number of aldermen to any one political party. In either case, the local election official can obey the mandate of § 9-167a. We therefore conclude that the town clerk in this case did not make a § 9-328 “ruling.” Cf. Fidelity Trust Co. v. Lamb, 164 Conn. 126,132-33, 318 A.2d 109 (1972).
The petitioners’ argument of policy stands on a different footing. In essence, the petitioners urge us to reconsider the merits of our footnote in Wrinn v. Dunleavy, supra, on the ground that our construction of § 9-328 unduly narrowed a remedial statute designed to facilitate the prompt resolution of election disputes. They argue that the legislature intended to provide an expedited review not only for minor technical violations of election processes but also for serious constitutional impairment of election rights. They maintain that their claims require a speedier adjudication than they would be able to obtain through an action in quo warranto, or for a declaratory judgment, in order to avoid uncertainty about the validity of interim legislative actions by a board of aldermen whose rightful composition may be in doubt. These arguments are not, however, incontrovertible. The legislature might reasonably have opted for speedy adjudication of disputes about technical violations of election laws on the theory that identification and rectification of such mistakes is ordinarily not a matter of great complexity. Constitutional adjudication, by contrast, requires study and reflection and may therefore, as a general matter, be deemed less [506]*506appropriate for accelerated disposition. Furthermore, the respondent aldermen, once their election is certified in accordance with the mandate of § 9-167a, would have at least de facto status; State ex rel. Comstock v. Hempstead, 83 Conn. 554, 557-59, 78 A. 442 (1910); which would give legal effect to their public acts, done under color of law, even if they were not then officers de jure. Murach v. Planning & Zoning Commission, 196 Conn. 192, 203, 491 A.2d 1058 (1985); State v. Carroll, 38 Conn. 449, 471-79 (1871).
The legislative history of § 9-328, while not extensive, supports our construction in Wrinn v. Dunleavy. In 1978, prior to our decision, the statute had been amended to narrow those who might avail themselves of its expedited procedures. The 1978 amendment, designed to conform the language of § 9-328 with that of §§ 9-324 and 9-329, deleted from the class of eligible litigants any person “claiming to have been elected” to any municipal office. This year, the legislature, in Public Acts 1987, No. 87-545, § 3, expanded the substantive claims that an aggrieved candidate may make to include alleged violations of specified statutes governing election fraud and absentee balloting. Notably, this most recent revision does not purport to include constitutional claims within the ambit of § 9-328. We take the failure of the legislature to amend § 9-328 in this regard as acquiescence in Wrinn v. Dunleavy. The legislature is presumed to be aware of the interpretation that courts have placed on existing legislation and of the implications that we will draw from its inaction. C. White & Son, Inc. v. Rocky Hill, 181 Conn. 114, 123, 434 A.2d 949 (1980); Herald Publishing Co. v. Bill, 142 Conn. 53, 63, 111 A.2d 4 (1955). Whether the remedy provided in § 9-328 is to be fur[507]*507ther expanded is a question for the legislature to resolve. See Ladd v. Douglas Trucking Co., 203 Conn. 187, 197, 523 A.2d 1301 (1987).
There is error in the trial court’s decision to entertain this action and the case is remanded with direction to dismiss the complaint.