Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 153 - Nominations and Political Parties
Section 9-391. - Time for party endorsements for municipal offices and town committee members. Time for selection of delegates to conventions. Certification. Late certification void.

(a) Each endorsement of a candidate to run in a primary for the nomination of candidates for municipal office to be voted upon at a municipal election, or for the election of town committee members, shall be made under the provisions of section 9-390 not earlier than the fifty-sixth day or later than the forty-ninth day preceding the day of such primary. The endorsement shall be certified to the clerk of the municipality by either the chairperson or presiding officer or the secretary of the town committee, caucus or convention, as the case may be, not later than four o'clock p.m. on the forty-eighth day preceding the day of such primary. Each such candidate, except a candidate for the election of town committee member, shall sign such certification. Each such certification shall contain the name and street address of each candidate so endorsed, the title of the office or the position as committee member and the name or number of the political subdivision or district, if any, for which each such candidate is endorsed. Such certification shall be made on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State or on such other form as may comply with the provisions of this subsection. If such a certificate of a party's endorsement is not received by the clerk of the municipality by such time, such certificate shall be invalid and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-417, 9-418 and 9-419, shall be deemed to have neither made nor certified such endorsement of any candidate for such office.

(b) Each selection of delegates to a state or district convention shall be made in accordance with the provisions of section 9-390 not earlier than the one-hundred-fortieth day and not later than the one-hundred-thirty-third day preceding the day of the primary for such state or district office. Such selection shall be certified to the clerk of the municipality by either the chairperson or presiding officer or the secretary of the town committee or caucus, as the case may be, not later than four o'clock p.m. on the one-hundred-thirty-second day preceding the day of such primary. Each such certification shall contain the name and street address of each person so selected, the position as delegate, and the name or number of the political subdivision or district, if any, for which each such person is selected. If such a certificate of a party's selection is not received by the clerk of the municipality by such time, such certificate shall be invalid and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-417 and 9-420, shall be deemed to have neither made nor certified any selection of any person for the position of delegate.
(c) Each endorsement of a candidate to run in a primary for the nomination of candidates for a municipal office to be voted upon at a state election shall be made under the provisions of section 9-390 not earlier than the eighty-fourth day or later than the seventy-seventh day preceding the day of such primary. Each certification to be filed under this subsection shall be received by the Secretary of the State not later than four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day after the close of the town committee meeting, caucus or convention, as the case may be. If such a certificate of a party's endorsement is not received by the Secretary of the State by such time, such certificate shall be invalid and such party, for the purposes of sections 9-417 and 9-418, shall be deemed to have neither made nor certified any endorsement of any candidate for such office. The candidate so endorsed for a municipal office to be voted upon at a state election, other than the office of justice of the peace, shall file with the Secretary of the State a certificate, signed by that candidate, stating that such candidate was so endorsed, the candidate's name as the candidate authorizes it to appear on the ballot, the candidate's full street address and the title and district of the office for which the candidate was endorsed. Such certificate may be filed by a candidate whose name appears upon the last-completed enrollment list of such party within the senatorial district within which the candidate is endorsed to run for nomination in the case of the municipal office of state senator, or the assembly district within which the candidate is endorsed to run for nomination in the case of the municipal office of state representative, or the municipality or political subdivision within which the candidate is to run for nomination for other municipal offices to be voted on at a state election. Such certificate shall be attested by either the chairperson or presiding officer or the secretary of the town committee, caucus or convention which made such endorsement. The endorsement of any candidate for the office of justice of the peace shall be certified to the clerk of the municipality by either the chairperson or presiding officer or the secretary of the town committee, caucus or convention, and shall contain the name and street address of each candidate so endorsed and the title of the office for which each such candidate is endorsed. Such certification shall be made on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State or on such other form as may comply with the provisions of this subsection.
(June, 1955, S. 575d; November, 1955, S. N47; 1957, P.A. 518, S. 2; September, 1957, P.A. 1, S. 1; 1958 Rev., S. 9-76; 1963, P.A. 17, S. 19; P.A. 74-25, S. 4, 13; P.A. 81-447, S. 8, 23; P.A. 82-247, S. 9, 14; P.A. 83-475, S. 25, 43; P.A. 84-1, S. 1, 3; P.A. 85-235, S. 1; P.A. 87-382, S. 40, 55; 87-472, S. 4; P.A. 89-297, S. 13, 18; P.A. 90-1, S. 2, 5; P.A. 03-241, S. 22; P.A. 04-1, S. 1; 04-257, S. 8; P.A. 05-235, S. 17; P.A. 06-137, S. 3; P.A. 13-180, S. 20; P.A. 15-224, S. 11; P.A. 17-143, S. 1.)
History: 1963 act restated previous provisions; P.A. 74-25 changed time limitations on selection of party-endorsed candidates from “forty-ninth” to “forty-second” and from “thirty-fifth” to “fortieth” and on certification to the clerk from the “thirty-fourth” to the “thirty-ninth” day or next succeeding business day, effective January 1, 1975; P.A. 81-447 added Subsec. (b) requiring filing of certificate of endorsement by candidate; P.A. 82-247 added four o'clock deadline for certification and provided that if certificate of endorsement is not received by that deadline the party will be deemed to have neither made nor certified any endorsement; P.A. 83-475 amended section to advance endorsement and certification period by one week; P.A. 84-1 changed time limit for endorsement of candidates for election as convention delegates and for certification of endorsement; P.A. 85-235 amended section to require all endorsements to be made not earlier than the forty-ninth day nor later than the forty-seventh day preceding the day of primary; and certifications to be made on the forty-sixth day preceding such primary, deleting previous deadlines applicable to election of convention delegates; P.A. 87-382, in Subsec. (a), substituted “fifty-sixth” for “forty-ninth” and deleted provision extending certificate deadline when falling on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday and, in Subsec. (b), added “as he authorizes it to appear on the ballot”; P.A. 87-472 added provisions in Subsec. (a) re information required to be contained in certification and requirements for placing on ballot label names of candidates supported by endorsed candidates for delegates to a convention; P.A. 89-297 amended Subsec. (a) by changing endorsement deadline from forty-seventh day preceding primary day to forty-ninth day and changing certification deadline from forty-sixth day preceding primary day to forty-eighth day; P.A. 90-1 amended procedure in Subsec. (a) for placing on ballot label names of candidates supported by endorsed delegate slate by providing for letters of support for such candidates and allowing affidavit of consent from the candidate to be signed by a designee of the candidate named on list signed by candidate; P.A. 03-241 amended Subsec. (a) by inserting “to be voted upon at a municipal election”, deleting provisions re convention delegate candidates and making conforming changes, and substituted new Subsecs. (b) and (c), re convention delegate selection and endorsement of candidates to run in primaries for nomination of candidates for municipal offices to be voted upon at state elections, for former Subsec. (b), effective January 1, 2004, and applicable to primaries and elections held on or after that date; P.A. 04-1 amended Subsec. (b) by changing “one-hundred-sixty-eighth day” to “one-hundred-fortieth day”, “one-hundred-sixty-first day” to “one-hundred-thirty-third day” and “one-hundred-sixtieth day” to “one-hundred-thirty-second day”, effective February 9, 2004, and applicable to primaries and elections held on or after that date; P.A. 04-257 made a technical change in Subsecs. (a) and (c), effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 05-235 amended Subsec. (c) to require certification to be received by Secretary of the State in case of candidate for office of state senator or state representative and make conforming changes; P.A. 06-137 made technical changes and provided that if certificate of endorsement or selection is not received by the applicable deadline to file such certificate it shall be invalid, effective January 1, 2007; P.A. 13-180 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re endorsement for office of state senator or representative and amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision re certificate filing by candidate whose name appears on the last-completed enrollment list, effective June 18, 2013; P.A. 15-224 amended Subsec. (a) to require candidate signature on certification for endorsement of candidate and that such certification be on form prescribed by Secretary of the State or on other form complying with Subsec. (a), and amended Subsec. (c) to delete requirement that certification for endorsement of candidate be filed with town clerk, to change “presiding officer and the secretary” to “presiding officer or the secretary”, to require that certification for endorsement of candidate for justice of the peace be on form prescribed by Secretary of the State or on other form complying with Subsec. (c) and to make conforming and technical changes, effective January 1, 2016; P.A. 17-143 replaced references to person endorsed and person to run for nomination with “candidate”, amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision re endorsement of candidate for municipal office of state senator or state representative, delete Subdiv. (1) re chairman or presiding officer, delete Subdiv. (2) designator and add “the chairperson or presiding officer or” re certification of endorsement, replaced provision re certification to be signed by candidate with provision re candidate, except candidate for election of town committee member, to sign certification and replaced “town clerk” with “clerk of the municipality” re receipt of certificate of party's endorsement, amended Subsec. (b) to replace “the chairman or presiding officer and” with “either the chairperson or presiding officer or” re selection to be certified, replaced “town clerk” with “clerk of the municipality” re receipt of certificate of party's selection, amended Subsec. (c) to replace “Any” with “Each” re certification filed under subsection, add “either” re certificate to be attested and certification of endorsement of candidate for office of justice of the peace, and made technical changes, effective June 30, 2017.
See Sec. 9-406a re penalty for fraudulent certification.

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