Sec. 9-244. Inspection by party watchers, party chairpersons, candidates and officials. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 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 mechanic or mechanics will begin the preparation, test voting and sealing of the machines for the election, including any additional machines required under section 9-238. Such notice shall be given at least one day before the work on the preparation of such machines 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 machines, but such chairpersons, candidates and watchers shall not interfere with, or assist in, the preparation of the machines.

      (c) After the mechanic or mechanics have prepared the machines, (1) the registrars of voters, or their designees, who shall not include any such mechanics, and (2) all mechanics who prepared such machines shall be present together when the machines are tested and sealed 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 machines, except the mechanics, shall file a written report, as provided in section 9-245, certifying (A) to the numbers of the machines, (B) as to whether all the candidate and question counters are set at zero (000), (C) as to the numbers registered on the protective counters, if provided, and the numbers on the seals, (D) that the ballot labels are properly placed on the machines, and (E) that the machines 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.)

      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.