(a)(1) The Secretary of the State shall, in consultation with the advisory committee created pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, establish a program and criteria for the certification of registrars of voters. All registrars taking such office on or before July 1, 2015, shall complete such program and satisfy such criteria for certification not later than July 1, 2017. Any registrar taking such office after July 1, 2015, shall complete such program and satisfy such criteria for certification (A) in the case of a two-year term, not later than the conclusion of such term, and (B) in the case of a four-year term, not later than two years after the date of first holding such office, except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection. Each municipality shall pay on behalf of such municipality's registrar of voters the cost of completing such program and satisfying such criteria for certification.
(2) If a deputy registrar becomes registrar, in accordance with the provisions of section 9-192, on or after the ninetieth day prior to a state election, as defined in section 9-1, such new registrar shall complete an abridged program prescribed by the Secretary of the State for a provisional certification. Completion of such abridged program and receipt of a provisional certification shall not be deemed to satisfy the requirements for certification described in subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(3) Once certified, pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, each registrar shall participate each year in not less than eight hours of training, not including any training described under subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section, in order to maintain such certification. Such training shall be as prescribed by the Secretary of the State and shall be conducted by said Secretary or a third party approved by said Secretary to conduct such training. Any registrar who fails to satisfy such annual training requirement shall be directed by the Secretary of the State to take remedial measures prescribed by said Secretary.
(b) There is created an advisory committee for the purpose of establishing programs and procedures for training, examining and certifying registrars of voters, deputy registrars of voters and assistant registrars of voters, as described in section 9-192. The committee shall consist of six members, one of whom shall be from the office of the Secretary of the State, one of whom shall be from the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and four of whom shall be registrars of voters. The Secretary of the State shall appoint the registrars of voters, in consultation with the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut, or its successor organization. The committee members shall serve without pay. The Secretary of the State shall determine the length of the terms of the initial members, in accordance with the following: Two of such members shall serve for a one-year term; two of such members shall serve for a two-year term; and two of such members shall serve for a four-year term. Thereafter, all members shall serve for four-year terms. The committee shall select a chairperson, who shall be one of the registrars who is a member of the committee.
(c) The Secretary of the State, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall adopt criteria for the training, examination and certification requirements of registrars pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. In advising the Secretary of the State on the adoption of such criteria, the committee (1) shall consider whether the prescribed training leading to certification may, in part, be satisfied through participation in the required two conferences a year called by the Secretary of the State, pursuant to section 9-6, for purposes of discussing the election laws, procedures or matters related to election laws and procedures, and (2) may recommend programs at one or more institutions of higher education that satisfy such criteria. Any deputy or assistant registrar of voters may participate in the course of training prescribed by the Secretary for certification as a certified Connecticut registrar of voters. The Secretary of the State shall certify any individual who completes such training and successfully completes any examination or examinations prescribed by the Secretary as a certified Connecticut registrar of voters.
(d) The advisory committee shall also (1) develop a training program in election procedures for poll workers, and (2) develop an election law and procedures training program and guide for registrars, deputy registrars and assistant registrars. The training program developed under subdivision (2) of this subsection shall provide for training to be conducted by trained registrars or former registrars hired for such purpose by the Secretary of the State. The committee shall submit such training programs and training guide to the Secretary of the State, who shall approve or modify the programs and guide.
(P.A. 98-67, S. 6, 10; P.A. 05-235, S. 20; P.A. 06-196, S. 54; P.A. 15-224, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 98-67 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 05-235 divided provisions of existing Subsec. (a) into new Subsecs. (a) and (b), included existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) in new Subsec. (b) and made technical changes therein, and added new Subsec. (c) requiring committee to develop training program in election procedures for poll workers and an election law and procedures training program and guide for registrars, deputies and assistants, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 15-224 added new Subsec. (a) re establishment of and criteria for mandatory certification program for registrars of voters, provisional certification for deputy registrars that succeed registrar on or after 90 days before state election and annual training for maintenance of certification, redesignated existing Subsecs. (a) to (c) as Subsecs. (b) to (d), amended redesignated Subsec. (b) to change “committee” to “advisory committee” and change “permanent assistants” to “assistant registrars of voters”, amended redesignated Subsec. (c) to replace reference to permanent assistant with reference to assistant registrar of voters, delete provision re committee's duty to recommend certification of individual to Secretary of the State upon individual's successful completion of training and examination, delete provision re Secretary's authority to rescind certification upon finding of sufficient cause by committee, and delete provision re certification of registrars not required by Subsec., and made conforming and technical changes, effective July 7, 2015.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Section 9-164. - Regular and special municipal elections.
Section 9-164a. - Transitional terms of office.
Section 9-164b. - Deferred terms.
Section 9-164c. - Change of municipal election date.
Section 9-164d. - Notification to secretary.
Section 9-164e. - Proposed action to be submitted to municipal attorney.
Section 9-164f. - Election of registrars unaffected.
Section 9-167a. - Minority representation.
Section 9-168. - Place of holding elections.
Section 9-168b. - Designation of polling places in adjacent voting districts.
Section 9-168c. - Accessibility of polling places to physically disabled voters.
Section 9-168e. - Parking spaces at polling places for handicapped and infirm elderly persons.
Section 9-169. - Voting districts.
Section 9-169a. - Split voting districts.
Section 9-169b. - Effective date of changes in voting districts.
Section 9-169c. - At-large election of members of legislative bodies of certain towns.
Section 9-169f. - Reapportionment required for certain municipal legislative bodies.
Section 9-170. - Eligibility to vote at town elections.
Section 9-171. - Eligibility to vote at city elections.
Section 9-172. - Eligibility to vote at state elections.
Section 9-172a. - Revised registry list defined for purposes of special elections.
Section 9-172b. - Updated list and registration deadline for special election or referendum.
Section 9-173. - Plurality required for election.
Section 9-174a. - Emergency contingency plan for elections. Model plan.
Section 9-174b. - Notification re extension of hours of polling place.
Section 9-175. - Presidential and vice presidential electors. Write-in candidates and ballots.
Section 9-176. - Meeting of presidential electors.
Section 9-177. - Compensation of presidential electors.
Section 9-178. - Senator in Congress.
Section 9-179. - Representative in Congress.
Section 9-180. - Representative at large.
Section 9-181. - State officers.
Section 9-183. - Justices of the peace.
Section 9-183a. - Number of justices of the peace, exceptions.
Section 9-184. - Vacancy in office of justice of the peace when justice nominated by a major party.
Section 9-185. - Municipal officers.
Section 9-186. - Electoral status of municipal officers and justices of the peace.
Section 9-187a. - Date term to begin.
Section 9-189. - Town clerks, treasurers and tax collectors.
Section 9-189a. - Four-year terms for town clerks, registrars and treasurers.
Section 9-190. - Registrars of voters.
Section 9-190a. - Election of registrars at state elections.
Section 9-190b. - Temporary relief of registrar by Secretary of the State; procedure.
Section 9-190c. - Removal of registrar.
Section 9-191. - Election of registrars for each voting district.
Section 9-192b. - Designation of registrar, deputy or an assistant to receive instruction.
Section 9-193. - Registrar's oath.
Section 9-194. - Compensation of registrars, deputies and assistants.
Section 9-195. - Compensation of registrars and town clerks for duties as to enrollment.
Section 9-199. - Boards of assessment appeals. Alternate and additional members.
Section 9-201. - Election of five-member boards of police commissioners.
Section 9-202. - Board of finance.
Section 9-203. - Number and term of members of boards of education.
Section 9-204. - Minority representation on board of education.
Section 9-204a. - Nomination and voting for full number of board members to be elected authorized.
Section 9-204b. - Optional alternative system for towns with four-year terms for board of education.
Section 9-205. - Election of board of education when number of members revised.
Section 9-206a. - Optional number of members and terms of boards of education.
Section 9-207. - Library directors.
Section 9-208. - Election of library directors on change from annual to biennial election.
Section 9-209. - Certificate filed with secretary when planning or zoning members to be elected.
Section 9-210. - Incompatible town offices.
Section 9-211. - United States senator; vacancy.
Section 9-212. - Representative in Congress.
Section 9-213. - Secretary, Treasurer, Comptroller and Attorney General.
Section 9-214. - State representative.
Section 9-215. - Member or member-elect of the General Assembly.
Section 9-216. - Nomination by petition.
Section 9-217. - List of candidates.
Section 9-218. - Probate judge.
Section 9-219. - Justice of the peace.
Section 9-221. - Municipal office vacancy election provisions inapplicable in certain circumstances.
Section 9-223. - Notice of vacancy in municipal office.
Section 9-224. - Special election on same day as regular election.
Section 9-224a. - No election if only one candidate in special election to fill vacancy.
Section 9-224b. - Registration as write-in candidate in special election to fill vacancy.
Section 9-225. - State elections; exception for certain elections held in 2020 and 2021.
Section 9-226. - Municipal elections; exception for certain elections held in 2021.
Section 9-227. - Record of warning of municipal election.
Section 9-228. - Municipal elections.
Section 9-229b. - Regional election monitors. Contract. Memorandum of understanding.
Section 9-230. - Authority of registrars and moderators to prevent or suppress disorder.
Section 9-231. - Oath of election officials.
Section 9-232a. - Remedy for denial of voting rights.
Section 9-232b. - Penalty for false statement.
Section 9-232c. - Moderator to keep memorandum of challenge; form.
Section 9-232d. - Request for challenged ballot.
Section 9-232e. - Casting of challenged ballot, procedure.
Section 9-232f. - Preservation and counting of challenged ballots.
Section 9-232j. - Provisional ballot packets for elections for federal office.
Section 9-232k. - Secretary of the State to prescribe and provide provisional ballots.
Section 9-232l. - Applications for provisional ballots.
Section 9-232m. - Casting of provisional ballots.
Section 9-232o. - Counting of provisional ballots.
Section 9-233. - Voting tabulator tenders.
Section 9-234. - Presence of registrars. Official checkers. Checking of elector's name.
Section 9-235. - Unofficial checkers.
Section 9-235a. - Temporary absence of election officials.
Section 9-235c. - Voluntary service by election, primary or referendum officials.
Section 9-235e. - Secretary of the State allowed access to polling place.
Section 9-236a. - Spare voting tabulator or ballot box for educational use of students.