Voter Registration - ID Requirement - Acceptable Forms of ID - Early Voting - Absentee Voting - Provisional Voting - Sample Ballots - Type of Primary

State Contact Information

Physical Address:

30 Trinity Street

Hartford, CT 06106

Mailing Address:

Secretary of the State

ATTN: LEAD

PO Box 150470

Hartford, CT 06115-0470

Toll Free: 1-800-540-3764

Phone: (860) 509-6100

Fax: (860) 509-6127

Email: lead@po.state.ct.us

Website: http://www.sots.ct.gov

Voter Registration

Obtaining a Voter Registration

By mail or in person: Qualified voters may obtain an application from the county Voter Registrar's office, the Secretary of State's Office, libraries, many post offices, or high schools. You may download the State of Connecticut Postcard Voter Registration Application, then mail to your Registrar of Voter's office.

Locate nearest office at http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/ROVOfficeAddresses.pdf.

Online Registration: Connecticut does not offer online registration.

First Time Voters: If you submit your registration application by mail AND this is the first time you will be voting in a federal election, you may wish to submit with this application (a) a COPY of a current and valid photo I.D. or (b) a COPY of a current util­ity bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government that shows your name and address, in or­der to avoid additional I.D. require­ments the first time you vote. If you do not provide proof of identification, you may cast a provisional ballot.

ID Requirement

Every qualified registered voter is required to show identification at the polls on Election Day. Photo and non-photo ID are accepted. A voters without an ID will be provided a form by the Secretary of the State, write their residential address and date of birth, print the their name and sign a statement under penalty of false statement that the voter is the voter whose name appears on the official checklist.

First-time voters who registered by mail on or after January 1, 2003 and did not provide ID verification with their registration application must present either (a) a COPY of a current and valid photo I.D. or (b) a COPY of a current util­ity bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government that shows your name and address.

Acceptable Forms of ID

• Social Security card
• Other preprinted form of identification which shows the voter’s name and either the voter’s address, signature or photograph

Early Voting (N/A)

Connecticut does not permit early voting in person. Voters who wish to vote before Election Day see Absentee Ballot/Vote by Mail.

Absentee Voting/Vote By Mail (restricted)

Voting by absentee ballot is limited to voters who are unable to appear at the polling place on the day of a primary, election or referendum due to one or more of the following reasons:

1. Your active service in the U. S. armed forces
2. Your absence from town during all the hours of voting
3. Your illness
4. Your physical disability
5. Your religion forbids secular (non-religious) activity on that day
6. Your required performance of duties as a primary, referendum, or election official at a polling place other than your own during all the hours on that day.

You can obtain an application at any Town Clerk's Office. To cast the ballot, mark the ballot card and return it to the Town Clerk's Office in the town of residence.

When to apply for an absentee ballot: Absentee voting sets shall be issued beginning on the thirty-first day before an election and the twenty-first day before a primary or, if such day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, beginning on the next preceding business day.

Deadline to vote by absentee ballot: Voted Absentee ballots must be returned the day before Election Day.

FIRST-TIME VOTERS WHO VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT:

In order to Vote By Absentee Ballot, as a first-time voter who is required to present identification, you must submit with your ballot in the outer envelope only—(Note: do not include the information in the same envelope with your ballot as your ballot will be rejected):

• A copy of a current and valid photo identification; or
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Provisional Voting (in-precinct)

A “provisional ballot” can be considered a temporary ballot. Federal law provides for voters whose eligibility is in question to cast a ballot. A provisional ballot is not counted until voter eligibility can be determined by Election officials. Provisional voting was established nationwide by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). This means that no person who says they are registered to vote may be denied their right to vote. In Connecticut, provisional ballots will only be counted if cast in the correct precinct.

You may apply for and be issued a provisional ballot if you:

• Appear at the polling place and declare that you are a voter in the municipality, and you are eligible to vote in the primary or election for federal office in the polling place, but your name does not appear on the official registry list for the polling place; and the Registrars determine that your name cannot be restored to the voting list under section 9-42 or transferred from another polling place under section 9-35 of the Connecticut general statutes; or
• The Moderator decides that your name appears on the registry list and you have been challenged pursuant to sections 9-232 to 9-232(f), inclusive, of the general statutes are not eligible to vote in the primary or election for federal office; or
• Any first-time voter required to produce identification, who is unable to do so; and
• Individuals who vote after the polls close in an election for federal office as a result of a federal or state court order, or any other order extending the time established for closing the polls by a state law in effect 10 days before the date of that election.

You may apply for and cast a provisional ballot upon the execution of a written affirmation at the polling place affirming that you are qualified to vote in the election or primary for federal office in the polling place; and you have neither offered yourself to vote nor voted in person or by absentee ballot at said election or primary for federal office at the polling place.

Such application for provisional ballot shall be one prescribed by the Secretary of the State, executed before an election official and include a written affirmation, under penalty of false statement in absentee balloting pursuant to section 9-359a of the general statutes.

Sample Ballots

Provision of sample ballots may vary by county. Please contact your local county clerk’s office for more information about the distribution of sample ballots. However, sample ballots will be printed in the local newspaper and will be posted at your polling place on Election Day. In addition, most local newspapers publish a list of polling places within a few days of an election.

Type of Primary (closed)

Voters must register with a party if they want to take part in that party’s primary election, caucus, or convention.