Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 147 - Voting Methods
Section 9-244. - Inspection by party watchers, party chairpersons, candidates and officials.

(a) Such registrars of voters shall give written notice to the chairpersons of the town committees of the political parties of the day and place a registrar or registrars will begin the preparation, test voting and sealing of the tabulators for the election, including any additional tabulators required under section 9-238. Such notice shall be given at least one day before the work on the preparation of such tabulators begins.

(b) Each such chairperson and any candidate for an office appearing on the ballot may be present, or may designate a watcher who may be present, during the preparation of such tabulators, but such chairpersons, candidates and watchers shall not interfere with, or assist in, the preparation of the tabulators.
(c) After the registrar or registrars have prepared the tabulators, the registrars of voters, or their designees, shall test and seal such tabulators for use in the election. The chairpersons of the town committees of the political parties and any candidate for an office appearing on the ballot may also be present, or may designate a watcher who may be present, during the testing and sealing, but such chairpersons, candidates and watchers shall not interfere with the testing or sealing. All such persons who are present for the testing and sealing of the tabulators shall file a written report, as provided in section 9-245, certifying (1) to the numbers of the tabulators, (2) as to whether all the candidate and question counters are set at zero (000), (3) as to the numbers registered on the protective counters, if provided, and the numbers on the seals, (4) that the ballot is properly prepared, and (5) that the tabulators have been test-voted and found to be working properly.
(1949 Rev., S. 1197; 1953, S. 721d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 6; 1959, P.A. 487, S. 2; 1969, P.A. 355, S. 4; 694, S. 10; P.A. 88-48, S. 1, 5; P.A. 98-67, S. 7, 10; P.A. 11-173, S. 15.)
History: 1959 act provided for registrars, rather than selectmen, wardens and mayors, to give notice to town committee chairmen; 1969 acts provided for the chairman rather than the committee to designate a watcher and added reference to additional machines; P.A. 88-48 allowed party chairman to be present for preparation of machines and any candidate to either be present or to designate a watcher and required any chairmen and candidates who are present to file report; P.A. 98-67 divided section into Subsecs., reordered provisions, amended Subsec. (a) to include test voting and sealing in notice, amended Subsec. (b) to prohibit chairpersons, candidates and watchers from assisting in preparation of machines and amended Subsec. (c) by adding provisions concerning testing and sealing of machines, requiring report to be filed by persons present for testing and sealing the machines instead of by persons present for preparation of the machines, and adding to the items to be certified in written report, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 11-173 amended Subsecs. (a) and (c) by replacing “mechanic or mechanics” with “registrar or registrars”, amended Subsec. (c) by replacing language re mechanics with language re testing and sealing of tabulators, by eliminating Subdiv. (1) and (2) designators and redesignating existing Subparas. (A) to (E) as Subdivs. (1) to (5), replacing “ballot labels” with “ballot” and replacing reference to label placed on machine with language re preparation of ballot, and replaced “machines” with “tabulators” and made technical changes throughout, effective July 13, 2011.

Structure Connecticut General Statutes