Connecticut HB 5530: AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF ABSENTEE BALLOT ACCESS IN UNCONSOLIDATED CITIES AND BOROUGHS WITHIN A TOWN.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5530
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2801

Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT
ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS

Introduced by:
(GAE)

AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF ABSENTEE BALLOT ACCESS
IN UNCONSOLIDATED CITIES AND BOROUGHS WITHIN A TOWN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force 1
to study absentee ballot access in certain cities and boroughs in the state 2
that are unconsolidated with the towns within which such cities or 3
boroughs are respectively located. The task force shall examine the 4
feasibility of, and obstacles to, allowing voters in any such 5
unconsolidated city or town to apply for an absentee ballot through the 6
online application system established and maintained by the Secretary 7
of the State pursuant to subsection (b) of section 9-140 of the general 8
statutes for an election, primary or referendum held in such 9
unconsolidated city or town. 10
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 11
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 12
one of whom shall be the town clerk of a town within which all or part 13
of an unconsolidated city or borough is located; 14

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(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of 15
whom shall be the clerk of an unconsolidated city or borough; 16
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 17
Representatives; 18
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be 19
a registrar of voters of a town within which all or part of an 20
unconsolidated city or borough is located; 21
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 22
Representatives; 23
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be 24
a registrar of voters of a town within which all or part of an 25
unconsolidated city or borough is located; 26
(7) The Secretary of the State, or the Secretary's designee; 27
(8) One appointed by the Secretary, who shall be an attorney with 28
expertise in the election laws of the state; and 29
(9) The director of the Center for Voting Technology Research at The 30
University of Connecticut, or the director's designee. 31
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), 32
(2), (3) or (5) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the 33
General Assembly. 34
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later 35
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall 36
be filled by the appointing authority. 37
(e) The Secretary of the State, or the Secretary's designee, shall be the 38
chairperson of the task force. Such chairperson shall schedule the first 39
meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days 40
after the effective date of this section. 41
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 42

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General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to elections 43
shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 44
(g) Not later than January 1, 2027, the task force shall submit a report 45
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 46
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 47
elections, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 48
general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it 49
submits such report or January 1, 2027, whichever is later. 50
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

GAE Joint Favorable