Raised Bill No. 5278 Summary

• Repeals and replaces Section 9-135 of the general statutes to revise absentee voting eligibility requirements effective October 1, 2020.

• Removes the requirement that an elector be absent from their town of voting residence "during all of the hours of voting" and instead requires only that they be unable to appear "on the day of such primary, election or referendum."

• Clarifies the six qualifying reasons for absentee voting: active armed forces service, absence from town, sickness, physical disability, religious tenets forbidding secular activity, and duties as an election official.

• Repeals and replaces Section 9-137 to update the absentee ballot affidavit language to match the revised eligibility requirements in Section 9-135.

• Prohibits any person from misrepresenting the absentee ballot eligibility requirements to electors or prospective absentee ballot applicants.