CT HB05001

Summary of Connecticut HB 5001

• Removes all eligibility restrictions for absentee voting, allowing any elector who will not appear at their polling place on election day to vote by absentee ballot without needing to provide a specific reason (effective July 1, 2026)

• Establishes mandatory risk-limiting audits for state elections beginning January 1, 2027, requiring manual examination of statistically sampled paper ballots with a risk limit of no more than 5%, and creates a pilot program for risk-limiting audits at three municipal elections in 2027

• Permits 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by election day to vote during early voting periods or by absentee ballot, and allows electronic ballot delivery and return for military, overseas, and permanently disabled voters through Secretary of State-designated secure transmission systems

• Authorizes the Attorney General to seek injunctive relief from the Supreme Court to prevent or redress interference in federal elections, and requires municipal officials to notify the Attorney General and Secretary of State within 36 hours of receiving any subpoena or request for election records or equipment

• Allows municipalities to hold quadrennial (every 4 years) municipal elections if their charter provides for it, permits high-speed voting tabulators for recanvasses, and extends the deadline for municipal clerks to submit election returns to the last day of the month in which the election was held