Connecticut SB 463: AN ACT CONCERNING SECURITY OF ELECTION ADMINISTRATION PROCESSES, ELECTIONS SITES, ELECTION WORKERS AND ELECTORS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 463  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING SECURITY OF ELECTION ADMINISTRATION 
PROCESSES, ELECTIONS SITES, ELECTION WORKERS AND 
ELECTORS.  
Be  it  enacted  by the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1 
(1) "Election" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-1 of the 2 
general statutes; 3 
(2) "Elections site" means (A) a polling place on the day of an election, 4 
primary  or  referendum,  (B)  a  location  designated  for  the  conduct  of 5 
early voting during the period of early voting at an election or primary, 6 
(C) a location for same-day election registration on the day of a regular 7 
election, or (D) a drop box designated for the deposit of absentee ballots 8 
during  the  period  beginning  on  the  first  day  of  issuance  of  absentee 9 
voting sets and ending at the close of the polls at an election, primary or 10 
referendum; 11 
(3) "Primary" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-372 or 9-12 
463 of the general statutes, as applicable; and 13 
(4) "Referendum" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-1 of 14 
the general statutes. 15 

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(b) (1) No officer or agent of any organization or entity authorized by 16 
the  federal  government  or  by  any  state  to  use  force  against,  search, 17 
detain  or  arrest  individuals,  and  no  person  authorized  by  the  federal 18 
government  or  by  any  state  to  order,  bring,  keep  or  have  under  such 19 
person's  authority  or  control  any  such  officer  or  agent,  shall  (A) 20 
knowingly be within two hundred fifty feet of any elections site, unless 21 
(i) the Governor deems such force necessary to repel armed enemies of 22 
the  United  States  or  of  the  state,  (ii)  in  the  case  of  any  such  search, 23 
detention or arrest, such officer, agent or person (I) is acting in an official 24 
capacity,  (II)  has  given  notice  to  the  Secretary  of  the  State  and  the 25 
Attorney General not less than twenty-four hours prior to such search, 26 
detention  or  arrest,  and  (III)  is  authorized  by  a  judicial  warrant  or 27 
judicial order of a court of competent jurisdiction to specifically conduct 28 
such  search,  detention  or  arrest  within  two  hundred  fifty  feet  of  such 29 
elections site, and at the specific location at which such search, detention 30 
or  arrest  is  to  be  conducted,  provided  such  officer,  agent  or  person  is 31 
within  such  two  hundred  fifty  feet  only  for  as  long  as  reasonably 32 
necessary  to  conduct  such  search,  detention  or  arrest,  (iii)  exigent 33 
circumstances reasonably require the presence of any such officer, agent 34 
or person to protect against a serious threat to life or property, provided 35 
such officer, agent or person is within such two hundred fifty feet only 36 
for as long as reasonably necessary to protect against such threat, or (iv) 37 
the  Secretary  of  the  State  or  moderator  (I)  requests  such  force  to 38 
suppress disorder, or (II) has given permission for such an officer, agent 39 
or person to be present and such permission has not been withdrawn, 40 
(B) knowingly be within two hundred fifty feet of an elections site for 41 
the purpose of attempting to examine the qualifications to vote of any 42 
individual  at  such  elections  site,  or  (C)  knowingly  loiter  or  remain 43 
within two hundred fifty feet of an elections site. 44 
(2) Nothing in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be construed to 45 
(A) prevent any officer, agent or person described in said subdivision, 46 
when off duty, from voting in accordance with the provisions of title 9 47 
of  the  general  statutes  or  otherwise  engaging  in  protected  political 48 
expression,  or  (B)  prohibit  any  such  officer,  agent  or  person  from 49 

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passing within two hundred fifty feet of an elections site only for as long 50 
as necessary to be within such two hundred fifty feet while on the way 51 
to a place or location other than such elections site. 52 
(c)  (1)  Except  as  provided  in  subdivision  (2)  of  this  subsection,  no 53 
person  shall  wear  any  mask  or  other  covering  that  obscures  the  face, 54 
head  or  identity  of  such  person  within  two  hundred  fifty  feet  of  any 55 
elections site. 56 
(2)  A  person  may  wear  such  a  mask  or  other  covering  within  such 57 
two hundred fifty feet if the wearing of such mask or other covering (A) 58 
is  reasonable  given  the  weather  conditions,  provided  such  person 59 
complies with any request from the moderator to remove such mask or 60 
other covering, or (B) is medically necessary or of religious significance. 61 
(d)   (1)   No   person   shall   be   requi