Connecticut SB 459: AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE PROCESSING AND RETENTION OF FINGERPRINT RECORDS AND CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS FOR EDUCATORS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 459
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CIRCULATION OF PRIMARY
AND NOMINATING PETITIONS AND DISTRIBUTION OF ABSENTEE
BALLOT APPLICATIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 9-404b of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2
passage): 3
(d) Each circulator of a primary petition page shall be an enrolled 4
party member of a municipality in this state. Each petition page shall 5
contain a statement signed by the registrar of the municipality in which 6
the circulator is an enrolled party member attesting that the circulator is 7
an enrolled party member in the municipality. Unless such a statement 8
by the registrar of voters appears on each page so submitted, the 9
Secretary shall reject the page. Each separate page of the petition shall 10
contain a statement as to the authenticity of the signatures on the page 11
and the number of such signatures, and shall be signed under the 12
penalties of false statement by the person who circulated the page, 13
setting forth the circulator's address and the town in which the 14
circulator is an enrolled party member and attesting that each person 15
whose name appears on the page signed the petition in person in the 16
presence of the circulator, that the circulator either knows each such 17

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signer or that the signer satisfactorily identified himself or herself to the 18
circulator and that the spaces for candidates supported, offices sought 19
and the political party involved were filled in prior to the obtaining of 20
the signatures. Each separate page of the petition shall also be 21
acknowledged before an appropriate person as provided in section 1-22
29. The Secretary shall reject any page of a petition filed with the 23
Secretary which does not contain such a statement by the circulator as 24
to the authenticity of the signatures on the page, or upon which the 25
statement of the circulator is incomplete in any respect, or which does 26
not contain the certification required under this section by the registrar 27
of the town in which the circulator is an enrolled party member. No 28
person who has been convicted of a crime under this title shall circulate 29
any page of a primary petition during such person's period of probation 30
or parole, and for a period of twelve years after such person's release 31
from confinement, probation or parole, and the Secretary shall reject for 32
filing any such page that was circulated in violation of such prohibition. 33
For the purpose of complying with such rejection requirement, the 34
Secretary shall order the performance of a nation-wide criminal 35
background check on each circulator of one or more primary petition 36
pages. Any individual proposed as a candidate in any primary petition 37
may serve as a circulator of the pages of the petition, provided the 38
individual's service as circulator does not violate any provision of this 39
section. 40
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 9-410 of the general statutes is 41
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 42
passage): 43
(c) Each circulator of a primary petition page shall be an enrolled 44
party member of a municipality in this state who is entitled to vote. Each 45
petition page shall contain a statement signed by the registrar of the 46
municipality in which such circulator is an enrolled party member 47
attesting that the circulator is an enrolled party member in such 48
municipality. Unless such a statement by the registrar appears on each 49
page so submitted, the registrar shall reject such page. No candidate for 50
the nomination of a party for a municipal office or the position of town 51

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committee member shall circulate any petition for another candidate or 52
another group of candidates contained in one primary petition for the 53
nomination of such party for the same office or position, and any 54
petition page circulated in violation of this provision shall be rejected by 55
the registrar. No person shall circulate petitions for more than the 56
maximum number of candidates to be nominated by a party for the 57
same office or position, and any petition page circulated in violation of 58
this provision shall be rejected by the registrar. Each separate sheet of 59
such petition shall contain a statement as to the authenticity of the 60
signatures thereon and the number of such signatures, and shall be 61
signed under the penalties of false statement by the person who 62
circulated the same, setting forth such circulator's address and the town 63
in which such circulator is an enrolled party member and attesting that 64
each person whose name appears on such sheet signed the same in 65
person