SECRETARY OF THE STATE'S CONFERENCE AND TRAINING Aqua Turf Club March 28, 2016

DEPUTIES 1. Do I need to hire a deputy right away? What if I don’t have one; can’t find one? Sec Deputy registrar. Registrar vacancy. Assistant registrars. Special assistant registrars. Each registrar of voters immediately after his election shall appoint a deputy registrar of voters to hold office during his pleasure and may, at any time, fill any vacancy in said office. He shall file with the town clerk a certificate of each such appointment and the town clerk shall record the certificate with the records of town meetings. Each deputy registrar of voters shall assist his principal when required, discharge his duties in his absence or inability to act and, in case of the death, removal or resignation of such principal, shall become registrar of voters and appoint a deputy, and shall file with the town clerk a certificate of such appointment, which shall be recorded with the records of town meetings.

DEPUTIES 2. It’s true I haven’t acted quickly in appointing a deputy, but now my town committee says they may fill the appointment. Is that true? If a vacancy exists in the office of registrar of voters in consequence of a refusal or failure to accept the office or a failure of the registrar to appoint a deputy registrar, the town committee of the same political party as the registrar of voters who so refused, failed to accept or failed to appoint, or other appointing authority specified in local party rules shall fill such vacancy by the appointment of some suitable person, who shall belong to the same political party as the registrar of voters who so refused, failed to accept or failed to appoint.

DEPUTIES 3. I found someone who is interested in becoming my deputy, but she is currently an enrolled Democrat. May she become a Republican today and be sworn in tomorrow? If not, do I have to wait three months before making her my deputy? Each deputy, assistant or special assistant registrar shall be an elector of the municipality in which he is appointed. Each deputy registrar shall also, at the time of his appointment and during the six months immediately preceding his appointment, be an enrolled member of the same party as the registrar who makes such appointment.

DEPUTIES 4. My deputy has a full-time job and I don’t have money in the budget to hire an assistant in the office. Could you please give me some additional time to complete the update of election history on the centralized voter registration system? Sec. 9-50b mandates that the election history be updated no later than 60 days after the election or primary. Any failure to do so will be forwarded to SEEC for investigation or action, if necessary.

CANVASS 1. We conducted a canvass by mail and it came back undeliverable by the post office indicating that the elector no longer lives there. We called the home and the ex-wife answered and told us to “take him off the list and good riddance to him. He no longer lives here.” May we move him to the off list? A name cannot be removed completely from the list unless unless the elector confirms in writing that he has moved out of town. Send a CVR – Confirmation of Voting Residence and after 30 days, place the name on the Inactive list for 4 years. 2. Do we have to print the CVR in Spanish and English, even though we are not one of the 9 communities required to have ballots in Spanish and English? Yes; it is required for all municipalities in which1% or more of total population are of Hispanic origin – currently 81 towns and cities.

CANVASS 3. I received a phone call from a parent who told me to take her daughter off the official registry list as she has moved to another state to attend college. May I remove her? No, you should add her to your canvass list for next year or send her a friendly letter requesting written confirmation of her move.

CANVASS 4. All municipalities must have the following language on the CVR envelopes:  READ CAREFULLY. DO NOT RISK YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE  In addition, municipalities in which 1% or more are minorities -currently 98 towns - must also have the following language on the CVR envelopes:  ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 5. If I use the NCOA System for my canvass and I have been notified of a move within town, may I send something out before the presidential preference primary? Yes, use Form ED-683 and send that now. But if notified that elector no longer lives in town, prepare the CVR to be mailed the day after the April 26 primary.

BALLOTS 1. My town clerk received a Federal PostCard Application (FPCA) from “Sally” an overseas citizen who is not on the registry list, is permanently overseas with no intent to return, but claims she used to live on the Boston Post Road in my town. I cannot confirm that she used to live here. Do I place her on the voter list? Is she entitled to vote? An overseas citizen is a person who is not on your registry list and is permanently overseas. If, however, she was a bona fide resident of a Connecticut town immediately prior to going overseas (all areas not included in the "United States" as defined in §9-158a), she is entitled to vote for Federal offices - Presidential electors, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress - on an Overseas Ballot. You would not enter her on the voter list.

BALLOTS 2. I never resided in the United States; I am a US citizen who was born in London, England to parents who have been living in England for more than twenty years. Immediately prior to moving outside of the US, my parents were bona fide residents of Litchfield. I am now 18 years of age. May I register to vote? No, but I am eligible for an overseas ballot (Sec b(c)) and I may vote for federal offices - Presidential electors, U.S. Senator, and Representative in Congress. Please note that this is a relatively recent change in the law, effective 6/22/ I was conducting supervised absentee voting at a local nursing home. One of the residents who is 100 years old had requested an absentee ballot but her daughter was present and told us not to let her mother vote because she is confused and might vote for the wrong party.

BALLOTS Only the Probate Court can remove someone’s right to vote. Others should not make that decision for them. Every resident should be informed of their right to register and vote no matter what physical or mental disabilities they may appear to have. 4. I am the registrar of voters and my wife is on the ballot in November, running for state representative. What duties am I allowed to perform? You should not actively participate in machine testing but you can certainly attend. You should not count absentee ballots or voted EDR ballots but you can help people register on Election Day. You should not conduct any of the supervised absentee voting. You are prohibited from transferring or repairing any tabulator. You can work in the office registering voters, training poll workers, and any other preparation leading up to and including Election Day.

PILOT PROGRAM ON LINE MANAGEMENT The Presidential Commission on Election Administration addressed the issue of long lines, a problem generally limited to presidential elections. Queuing theory can be helpful in determining why some districts manage turnout and voter flow better than others. 1. Professor Charles Stewart, Department of Political Science at MIT, is conducting a study of wait times for the upcoming presidential election. 2. He is hoping to gather data from towns who will volunteer to help him collect the information. He is looking for hourly data of the number of people waiting in line throughout the day, starting from the opening of the polls until closing, and would also need to know the number of lines or checklists that were in use at the polling place.