§ 9-238 — *(See end of section for amended version of subsection (a) and effective date.) Voting tabulators required. Notification of purchase or discontinuance of use.

Connecticut § 9-238

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 9: Elections
• Ch. 147: Voting Methods

Text

*(a) Except as provided in section 9-272, voting tabulators shall be used at all elections held in any municipality, or in any part thereof, for voting and registering and counting votes cast at such elections for officers, and upon all questions or amendments submitted at such elections. The board of selectmen of each town, the common council of each city and the warden and burgesses of each borough shall purchase or lease, or otherwise provide, for use at elections in each such municipality a number of voting tabulators approved by the Secretary of the State. Different voting tabulators may be provided for different voting districts in the same municipality. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection to the contrary, the registrars of voters of a municipality may determine the number of voting tabulators that shall be provided for use at any special election in such municipality, provided the registrars shall provide at least one voting tabulator in the municipality or, in a municipality divided into voting districts, at least one voting tabulator in each such district. (b) Upon the purchase or lease of a voting tabulator for use in any municipality, the officials of such municipality purchasing or leasing the same shall forthwith send notification in writing to the Secretary of the State of the name or make of such tabulator, the name of the person who manufactured the same, the name of the person from whom it was purchased or leased and the date on which it was purchased or leased. No voting tabulator shall be used in an election which, in the opinion of the Secretary of the State, does not conform to the requirements of law, is unsuitable for use in such election or does not comply with the voluntary performance and test standards for voting systems adopted by the Election Assistance Commission pursuant to the Help America Vote Act, P.L. 107-252, 43 USC 15481. When in any municipality the use of a voting tabulator at elections is discontinued because of its age or condition or because it is sold, or for any other reason, such officials shall send written notification to the Secretary of the discontinuance of such tabulator, of the time of and reason for such discontinuance and of the information required in connection with notification of original purchasing or leasing. *Note: On and after July 1, 2025, subsection (a) of this section, as amended by section 3 of public act 23-1 of the September 26 special session, is to read as follows: “(a) Except as provided in section 9-272, voting tabulators shall be used at all elections held in any municipality, or in any part thereof, for voting and registering and counting votes cast at such elections for officers, and upon all questions or amendments submitted at such elections. The board of selectmen of each town, the common council of each city and the warden and burgesses of each borough shall purchase or lease, or otherwise provide, for use at elections in each such municipality a number of voting tabulators approved by the Secretary of the State. Different voting tabulators may be provided for different voting districts in the same municipality. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection, the registrars of voters of a municipality shall ensure that each voting district at any such election uses a dedicated voting tabulator or tabulators that only registers and counts votes cast for such voting district. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the counting of ballots at a central location designated for such purpose or to the conduct of a recanvass.”

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 1192, 1193, 1194; 1951, S. 259b; 1953, 1955, S. 715d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 32; 355, S. 1; P.A. 80-339, S. 1; P.A. 91-7; 91-351, S. 26, 28; P.A. 94-203, S. 3, 12; P.A. 07-194, S. 38; P.A. 11-20, S. 6.) (1949 Rev., S. 1192, 1193, 1194; 1951, S. 259b; 1953, 1955, S. 715d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 32; 355, S. 1; P.A. 80-339, S. 1; P.A. 91-7; 91-351, S. 26, 28; P.A. 94-203, S. 3, 12; P.A. 07-194, S. 38; P.A. 11-20, S. 6; Sept. 26 Sp. Sess. P.A. 23-1, S. 3.) History: 1969 acts provided for discontinuance of use of old voting machines and provided for additional voting machines according to number of electors and in municipalities having less than 5,000 electors in lieu of additional machine officials may provide sample voting machine ballot labels, effective with respect to all elections held on or after January 1, 1970; P.A. 80-339 substituted “absentee ballots” for “sample voting machine ballot labels” and “emergency paper” for “unofficial” ballots where appearing; P.A. 91-7 divided section into Subsecs. and added provision in Subsec. (a) allowing registrars to determine number of voting machines for special elections; P.A. 91-351 changed effective date of P.A. 91-7 from October 1, 1991, to July 1, 1991; P.A. 94-203 amended Subsec. (a) to require registrars to exclude 75% of names of electors residing in institutions when calculating required number of voting machines, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 07-194 replaced “voting machines” with “voting tabulators”, deleted procedures re voting machines, required tabulators to comply with voluntary performance and test standards for voting systems adopted by the Election Assistance Commission and made technical changes; P.A. 11-20 replaced “voting machines” with “tabulators” and deleted reference to Sec. 9-271 in Subsec. (a), effective May 24, 2011; Sept. 26 Sp. Sess. P.A. 23-1 amended Subsec. (a) by no longer allowing registrars to determine the number of voting tabulators at special elections and instead requiring registrars to ensure use of dedicated tabulators for each voting district at any election, by exempting centralized ballot counting and recanvasses from provisions of subsection and by making a technical change, effective July 1, 2025.