§ 9-264 — Assistance to elector who is blind, has disability or is unable to write or to read the ballot.

Connecticut § 9-264

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

Text

An elector who requires assistance to vote, by reason of blindness, disability or inability to write or to read the ballot, may be given assistance by a person of the elector's choice, other than (1) the elector's employer, (2) an agent of such employer, (3) an officer or agent of the elector's union, or (4) a candidate for any office on the ballot, unless the elector is a member of the immediate family of such candidate. The person assisting the elector may accompany the elector into the voting booth at the polling place, the location designated for same-day election registration or the location designated for the conduct of early voting, as applicable. Such person shall register such elector's vote upon the ballot as such elector directs. Any person accompanying an elector into the voting booth at the polling place or the location designated for election day registration who deceives any elector in registering the elector's vote under this section or seeks to influence any elector while in the act of voting, or who registers any vote for any elector or on any question other than as requested by such elector, or who gives information to any person as to what person or persons such elector voted for, or how such elector voted on any question, shall be guilty of a class D felony. As used in this section, “immediate family” means “immediate family” as defined in section 9-140b.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 1210; 1953, S. 740d; 1961, P.A. 431; P.A. 75-133; P.A. 87-382, S. 29, 55; P.A. 93-384, S. 10, 28; P.A. 00-79, S. 3; P.A. 11-20, S. 18; 11-173, S. 41; P.A. 13-258, S. 36; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 110; P.A. 23-5, S. 31; 23-204, S. 183.) History: 1961 act made special provision for blind electors and made other technical changes; P.A. 75-133 deleted provision for physically disabled voter to be accompanied into voting machine booth by two election officials of opposite parties, substituting therefor a person of his choice who is a Connecticut elector and providing for such person to register disabled voter's vote on machine as he directs; P.A. 87-382 amended provisions to clarify who qualifies for assistance and to indicate who may provide assistance to an elector and deleted a reference to voting for a “ticket”; P.A. 93-384 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) requiring paper ballots to be made available to electors with disabilities who are unable to reach all necessary parts of voting machine, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 00-79 amended Subsec. (b) to specify paper ballots “provided by the municipal clerk to the moderator pursuant to section 9-259” and to make technical changes; P.A. 11-20 replaced “voting machine booth” with “voting booth” and “machine” with “ballot”, made technical changes, eliminated Subsec. (a) designator and eliminated former Subsec. (b) re paper ballots, effective May 24, 2011; P.A. 11-173 added Subdiv. (4) re candidate for office, replaced “voting machine booth” with “voting booth” and “machine” with “ballot”, defined “immediate family”, made technical changes, deleted Subsec. (a) designator and deleted former Subsec. (b) re paper ballots, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 13-258 changed penalty from a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more than 5 years to a class D felony; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 added references to polling places and election day registration locations, effective June 23, 2021; P.A. 23-5 replaced “election day registration” with “same-day election registration” and added reference to early voting location, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 23-204 changed effective date of P.A. 23-5, S. 31, from July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, effective June 12, 2023.