Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 153 - Nominations and Political Parties
Section 9-450. - Vacancy elections.

(a) Nominations by major parties for any state, district or municipal office to be filled under the provisions of any law relating to elections to fill vacancies, unless otherwise provided therein, shall be made in accordance with the provisions of sections 9-382 to 9-450, inclusive.

(b) (1) In the case of nominations for representatives in Congress and judges of probate in probate districts composed of two or more towns, provided for in sections 9-212 and 9-218, the delegates to the convention for the last state election shall be the delegates for the purpose of selecting a candidate to fill such vacancy. If a vacancy occurs in the delegation from any town, political subdivision or district, such vacancy may be filled by the town committee of the town in which the delegate resided. Endorsements by political party conventions pursuant to this subsection may be made and certified at any time after the resignation or death creating such vacancy and not later than the fiftieth day before the day of the election. No such endorsement shall be effective until the presiding officer or secretary of any district convention has certified the endorsement to the Secretary of the State.
(2) If such a vacancy occurs between the one hundred twenty-fifth day and the sixty-third day before the day of a regular state or municipal election in November of any year, no primary shall be held for the nomination of any political party and the party-endorsed candidate so selected shall be deemed, for the purposes of this chapter, the person certified by the Secretary of the State pursuant to section 9-444 as the nominee of such party.
(3) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, if a candidacy for nomination is filed by or on behalf of any person other than a party-endorsed candidate not later than the day after the party endorsement and in conformity with the provisions of section 9-400, a primary shall be held in each municipality of the district and each part of a municipality which is a component part of the district, to determine the nominee of such party for such office, except as provided in section 9-416a. Such primary shall be held on the day that the writs of election issued by the Governor, pursuant to section 9-212, ordered the election to be held, and new writs of election shall be issued by the Governor in accordance with section 9-212.
(4) Unless the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection apply, petition forms for candidacies for nomination by a political party pursuant to this subdivision shall be available from the Secretary of the State beginning on the day following the issuance of writs of election by the Governor pursuant to section 9-212, except when a primary has already been held, and the provisions of section 9-404a shall otherwise apply to such petitions.
(5) The registry lists used pursuant to this subsection shall be the last-completed lists, as provided in sections 9-172a and 9-172b.
(c) In the case of judges of probate in probate districts composed of a single town, the day named for the election shall be not earlier than the one hundred fifteenth day following the day on which the writ of election is issued, and the times specified in sections 9-391, 9-405 and 9-423 shall be applicable.
(d) (1) In the case of nominations for senators in Congress provided for in section 9-211, the delegates to the convention for the last state election shall be the delegates for the purpose of selecting a candidate to fill such vacancy. If a vacancy occurs in the delegation from any town or political subdivision, such vacancy may be filled by the town committee of the town in which the delegate resided. Endorsements by political party conventions pursuant to this subsection may be made and certified at any time after the resignation or death creating such vacancy and not later than the fifty-sixth day before the day of the primary. No such endorsement shall be effective until the presiding officer or secretary of any state convention has certified the endorsement to the Secretary of the State.
(2) If such a vacancy occurs between the one hundred twenty-fifth day and the sixty-third day before the day of a regular state or municipal election in November of any year, no primary shall be held for the nomination of any political party and the party-endorsed candidate so selected shall be deemed, for the purposes of this chapter, the person certified by the Secretary of the State, pursuant to section 9-444, as the nominee of such party. In such an event, endorsements by political party conventions shall be made not later than sixty days prior to the election.
(3) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, if a candidacy for nomination is filed by or on behalf of any person other than a party-endorsed candidate not later than the day after the party endorsement and in conformity with the provisions of section 9-400, a primary shall be held on the fifty-sixth day prior to the day of the election in each municipality to determine the nominee of such party for such office, except as provided in section 9-416a.
(4) Unless the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection apply, petition forms for candidacies for nomination by a political party pursuant to this subdivision shall be available from the Secretary of the State beginning on the day following the issuance of writs of election by the Governor, pursuant to section 9-211, except when a primary has already been held and the provisions of section 9-404a shall otherwise apply to such petitions.
(5) The registry lists used pursuant to this subsection shall be the last-completed lists, as provided in sections 9-172a and 9-172b.
(e) The times specified in sections 9-391, 9-405 and 9-423 shall be applicable to any special town election held to fill a vacancy in any town office under subsection (b) of section 9-164. Except as provided under subsection (c) of section 9-164, any election held to fill a vacancy in any municipal office under the provisions of any special act shall be held not earlier than the one hundred twenty-seventh day following the day upon which warning of such election is issued, and the times specified in sections 9-391, 9-405 and 9-423 shall be applicable.
(June, 1955, S. 610d; November, 1955, S. N95; 1957, P.A. 119, S. 1; 518, S. 32; 1958 Rev., S. 9-123; 1963, P.A. 17, S. 74; P.A. 75-206, S. 4, 7; P.A. 79-616, S. 21; P.A. 87-382, S. 48, 55; P.A. 93-202, S. 2; P.A. 00-66, S. 26; P.A. 03-241, S. 51; P.A. 05-188, S. 3; 05-235, S. 32; P.A. 06-137, S. 10, 13; P.A. 09-170, S. 2; P.A. 17-143, S. 5, 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 105.)
History: 1963 act restated previous provisions; P.A. 75-206 changed in Subsec. (a) the determining day before or after which election writs are issued from the tenth day of April to the twenty-first day of May and changed date of action by state central committee when such writs issued on or before that date to no later than the twenty-fourth day of May, in Subsec. (b) changed day of election to no earlier than the one-hundred-fifth day following issuance of writ instead of the ninetieth, in Subsec. (c) changed application of subsection to vacancy occurring 70 or more days prior to state election rather than 60 days, further provided for the twenty-eighth day rather than the twenty-first day following the reconvened convention to be the determining day and changed the ninetieth to the one-hundred-fifth day as the limitation in Subsec. (d); P.A. 79-616 changed reference from Sec. 9-399 to Sec. 9-400; P.A. 87-382, in Subsec. (a) added reference to Sec. 9-423 and sentence re deadlines for delegate primaries and changed deadline for filing of contesting candidacies for nomination from fourteenth to fifth day following close of convention, in Subsec. (b) changed earliest day for election from one-hundred-fifth to one-hundred-fifteenth-day following day on which writ of election is issued, in Subsec. (c) changed deadline for filing of contesting candidacies for nomination from fourteenth to fifth day following close of convention, and in Subsec. (d) changed earliest day for election from one-hundred-fifth to one-hundred-twenty-seventh day following day on which warning of election is issued; P.A. 93-202 amended Subsec. (d) by inserting specific reference to “subsection (b) of” Sec. 9-164 and by adding exception re Subsec. (c) of Sec. 9-164; P.A. 00-66 replaced alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numeric indicators; P.A. 03-241 changed provisions re election of delegates to selection of delegates in Subdivs. (1) and (3), effective January 1, 2004, and applicable to primaries and elections held on or after that date; P.A. 05-188 amended Subdiv. (1) to substantially revise procedure for vacancy elections for office of representative in Congress and judge of probate, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 05-235 restored provisions of Subdiv. (1) that were deleted by P.A. 05-188, effective July 8, 2005; P.A. 06-137 amended Subdiv. (1) to replace former provisions with Subpara. (A) re vacancies for representatives in Congress and judges of probate, Subpara. (B) re vacancies between the one hundred twenty-fifth day and the sixty-third day before the day of a regular state or municipal election, Subpara. (C) re filing of a candidacy for nomination by or on behalf of any person other than a party-endorsed candidate, Subpara. (D) re availability of petition forms and Subpara. (E) re registry lists used pursuant to section, and amended Subdiv. (3) to change reference re occurrence of vacancy from 70 or more days to 150 or more days, change deadline for filing of contesting candidacies from not later than four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day following close of the convention to not later than four o'clock p.m. on the twenty-first day following close of the convention, change deadline for filing of contesting candidacies after a reconvened state convention from not later than four o'clock p.m. on the fifth day following close of the reconvened convention to not later than four o'clock p.m. on the twenty-first day following close of the reconvened convention, and change references re day of primaries from the twenty-eighth day following close of the reconvened convention to the forty-ninth day following close of the reconvened convention, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 09-170 replaced former Subdiv. (3) re vacancy in office of senator in Congress with new Subdiv. (3)(A) re nominations for senator in Congress provided for in Sec. 9-211, new Subdiv. (3)(B) re vacancies occurring between one hundred twenty-fifth day and sixty-third day before day of regular state or municipal election in November of any year, new Subdiv. (3)(C) re filing of candidacy for nomination by or on behalf of any person other than party-endorsed candidate not later than fourteen days after party endorsement and in conformity with Sec. 9-400, new Subdiv. (3)(D) re the availability of petition forms for candidacies for nomination by political party and new Subdiv. (3)(E) re registry lists to be used, effective June 25, 2009; P.A. 17-143 amended Subdivs. (1)(A) and (3)(A) to replace “and secretary” with “or secretary” re certification of endorsement, and to make technical changes, effective June 30, 2017; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 designated existing provisions re nominations by major parties for any state, district or municipal office as Subsec. (a), redesignated Subdivs. (1)(A) to (1)(E) as Subsecs. (b)(1) to (b)(5), redesignated Subdiv. (2) as Subsec. (c), redesignated Subdivs. (3)(A) to (3)(E) as Subsecs. (d)(1) to (d)(5), redesignated Subdiv. (4) as Subsec. (e), replaced references to 14 days after party endorsement with “the day after the party endorsement” and made conforming changes, effective June 23, 2021.

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