Sec. 9-229a. Election or primary day polling place observers. Appointment. Duties. Training program. Regulations. Additional election officials. Code of ethics for polling place observers. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 9-229a. Election or primary day polling place observers. Appointment. Duties. Training program. Regulations. Additional election officials. Code of ethics for polling place observers. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the Secretary of the State, upon receipt of a written request from a certified candidate in any election or primary that is received by the Secretary of the State not later than thirty days prior to such primary or election, and after consultation with the registrars of voters, shall appoint election or primary day polling place observers as requested who shall be electors of the state, including without limitation an observer who accompanies and observes the election or primary moderator. Such polling place observers shall record the names and other identifying information of individuals involved in any irregularities or violations and report this information to the Secretary of the State or the Secretary's designee who shall forward all such information to the State Elections Enforcement Commission and all candidates whose names appear on the ballot. During any such primary or election, observers shall immediately report any irregularities or violations of law and the names and other identifying information of any electors who are not allowed to vote to the Secretary of the State, or the Secretary's designee, who shall inform the relevant registrar of voters and the moderator and require immediate and appropriate corrective action.

      (b) The Secretary of the State shall establish suitable duties, responsibilities and a curriculum, training program and certification process for such polling place observers. Such training program and certification process shall include, without limitation, procedures for counting and recording absentee ballots, the use of voting machines, voting when a name does not appear on a voting list and the duties of a moderator in the conduct of a primary and election. Once certified, the Secretary shall assign each polling place observer to a specific polling place or polling places. Once assigned, the polling place observer shall have the ability to enter and leave the assigned polling places at any time during election or primary day. If at any such time an observer becomes disruptive to the orderly process of voting, the moderator shall have the ability to remove such observers from the polling place. No candidate or member of the immediate family of a candidate shall be appointed as a polling place observer for a polling place on which such candidate may appear on the ballot.

      (c) Any observer who wilfully, knowingly or recklessly interferes with the orderly process of voting shall be subject to the provisions of section 9-366.

      (d) The Secretary may adopt regulations, pursuant to chapter 54, to administer the program established pursuant to this section.

      (e) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the registrars of voters of each municipality may appoint additional election officials on the day of, or on any day after, an election or primary, if, in the opinion of both registrars of voters, additional election officials are needed because (1) an election official appointed prior to the day of the election or primary is unable to serve as an election official for any reason, (2) it is necessary to accommodate the public convenience of the electors in any voting district, or (3) it is necessary to improve the administration of the election or primary. The registrars of voters shall file a written opinion with the municipal clerk indicating the reasons for the appointment of any such additional election officials.

      (f) Not later than September 1, 2007, the Secretary of the State shall establish a code of ethics for polling place observers, registrars of voters and poll workers. Such code of ethics shall be conspicuously posted in each polling place and in the office of the registrars of voters.

      (g) The Secretary of the State may establish a training program for instruction on such code of ethics and a training program concerning accessibility of polling places by persons with disabilities.

      (P.A. 07-194, S. 9.)

      History: P.A. 07-194 effective July 5, 2007.