Requirements for Serving as a Pollworker

**[Connecticut]{.underline}**

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| **[State Registration Requirement]{.underline}**                      |
|                                                                       |
| **[(Exceptions may be found in Student Election Assistant             |
| category)]{.underline}**                                              |
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| Moderators or Checkers must be electors of the town.                  |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-258; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-436(d) (Thomson/West  |
| 2006).*                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Voting Machine Tenders and Unofficial Checkers must be registered     |
| electors.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-233; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-235; Conn. Gen Stat.  |
| § 9-12(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                                       |
|                                                                       |
| Voting machine mechanics do not have to be electors.                  |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[Age Requirement]{.underline}**                                     |
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| 18 years.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-12(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| 16 or 17 if meets qualification of Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235d (a).      |
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| **[Residency Place and Term Required for Voter                        |
| Registration]{.underline}**                                           |
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| Bona fide resident of the town to which the citizen applies.          |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-12(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
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| **[Residency Requirement for Service (State, County or                |
| Precinct)]{.underline}**                                              |
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| Generally Town or District.                                           |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-229(a); Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-233; Conn. Gen Stat. |
| § 9-234; Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235; Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258             |
| (Thomson/West 2006).*                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Voting machine mechanics do not have residency requirements.          |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[Affiliation with Political Party Requirement]{.underline}**        |
|                                                                       |
| **[and Process for Nomination as Poll Worker]{.underline}**           |
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| Affiliation Generally Required.                                       |
|                                                                       |
| Election officials shall be appointed at least twenty days before the |
| election except as provided in § 9-229.                               |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-249(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| The election officials of each polling place, except voting machine   |
| mechanics, shall be electors of the town and shall consist of one     |
| moderator, two checkers, two registrars of voters or two assistant    |
| registrars of voters, as the case may be, of opposite political       |
| parties.                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
|                                                                       |
| The registrars of voters in towns/districts appoint moderators and    |
| designate alternate moderators as a reserve group.                    |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-229(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Registrars also appoint least one, and not more than two, electors of |
| such town as voting machine tenders, unless the municipality has      |
| established two shifts for election officials, in which case the      |
| registrars shall appoint one or two electors for each shift.          |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-233 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
|                                                                       |
| The Registrars of voters of each town or voting district shall        |
| appoint some suitable person to be a checker of the voting list in    |
| each district, unless the municipality has established two shifts.    |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-234 (Thomson/West 2006).* (*Conn. Gen Stat. §    |
| 9-258* requires two checkers.)                                        |
|                                                                       |
| For primaries, the registrar shall appoint from among the enrolled    |
| party members in the municipality or political subdivision holding    |
| the primary, as the case may be. If numbers are insufficient may      |
| appoint from larger geographic area or from outside the party.        |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-436(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                    |
|                                                                       |
| At any election or primary, any person may serve as a runner solely   |
| to enter and leave a polling place and the restricted area            |
| surrounding the polling place for the purpose of taking outside the   |
| polling place and said area, information identifying electors who     |
| have cast ballots at such election or primary.                        |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235b (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
|                                                                       |
| The role of unofficial checker (\"party\" checker) is present to      |
| allow political parties to keep track of the number of persons voting |
| during an election. Appointments are from the town party chairman's   |
| list which must be provided 48 hours in advance.                      |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[Term Requirements]{.underline}**                                   |
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| Moderators are certified for 4 year terms but must be appointed prior |
| to each election.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-229(c) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Voting machine tenders, Checkers, and Unofficial Checkers appointed   |
| prior to each election.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-233; Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-234; Conn. Gen Stat. §  |
| 9-235(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                                        |
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| **[Compensation and Hour Requirements]{.underline}**                  |
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| Part time available for voting machine tenders, checkers, and         |
| unofficial checkers.                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| Each municipality, by a majority vote of its legislative body, may    |
| establish, except for unofficial checkers and the moderator, two      |
| shifts of election officials for each polling place. However, all     |
| members of both shifts who are required to sign returns, including    |
| checkers and assistant registrars, if any, of both shifts, shall be   |
| present at the closing of the polls and shall remain until all        |
| returns have been executed.                                           |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Registrar decides if unofficial checkers can work in shifts.          |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Election official compensation is set by municipality or subdivision. |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat § 7-460 (Thomson/West 2006).*                         |
|                                                                       |
| An unofficial checker appointed pursuant to this section may receive  |
| compensation from the municipality in which the election is held.     |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat § 9-235(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
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| **[Training, Certification and Oath Requirements]{.underline}**       |
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| Instruction is given to moderators in accordance with a curriculum    |
| devised by the Secretary of State.                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-229(b) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Secretary of State issues a 4 year certification to each candidate    |
| for moderator who successfully completes an instructional session and |
| an examination administered by the secretary. Certification is        |
| required to serve as a moderator.                                     |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-229(c) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| The registrars, certified moderator and certified mechanic shall      |
| instruct each election official who is to serve in a voting district  |
| in which a voting machine is to be used in the use of the machine and |
| his duties in connection therewith.                                   |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-249(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Election officials shall attend the elections training program        |
| developed under subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of § 9-192a and any |
| other meeting or meetings as are called for the purpose of receiving  |
| such instructions concerning their duties as are necessary for the    |
| proper conduct of the election.\                                      |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-249(b) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Each election official who qualifies for and serves in the election   |
| shall be paid not less than one dollar for the time spent in          |
| receiving such instruction, in the same manner and at the same time   |
| as the official is paid for the official\'s services on election      |
| day.\                                                                 |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-249(c) (Thomson/West 2006).*\                    |
| No election official shall serve in any election unless the official  |
| has received such instruction and is fully qualified to perform the   |
| official\'s duties in connection with the election, but this shall    |
| not prevent the appointment of an election official to fill a vacancy |
| in an emergency.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-249(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
|                                                                       |
| Oath required.                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-231 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[Elected Public Officials Prohibited]{.underline}**                 |
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| No Information Available.                                             |
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| **[Candidates Prohibited]{.underline}**                               |
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| A known candidate for any office shall not serve as an election       |
| official on election day or serve at the polls in any capacity,       |
| except that a municipal clerk or a registrar of voters, who is a      |
| candidate for the same office, may perform his official duties.       |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*\                       |
| No candidate or member of the immediate family of a candidate shall   |
| transport, prepare, repair or maintain a voting machine. No provision |
| of this section shall prohibit (1) a member of the immediate family   |
| of a candidate from serving as a moderator or (2) a candidate for the |
| office of registrar of voters or a member of the immediate family of  |
| such a candidate from serving as a voting machine mechanic.           |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-247a (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
|                                                                       |
| No candidate for an office in an election may be an unofficial        |
| checker.                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. §* *9-235(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
|                                                                       |
| No candidate may perform the functions of a runner.                   |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235b (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
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| **[The Effect of Felon Status on Participation]{.underline}**         |
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| Prohibited until rights are restored.                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Prohibited, if convicted of a felony and committed to confinement in  |
| a federal or other state correctional institution or facility or      |
| community residence, until submission of written or other             |
| satisfactory proof to the admitting official, that all fines in       |
| conjunction with the conviction have been paid and that such person   |
| has been discharged from confinement, and, if applicable, parole.     |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-46; Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-46(a) (Thomson/West      |
| 2006).*                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Note: Because voting machine mechanics do not have to be electors,    |
| this prohibition applies to all election officials other than voting  |
| machine mechanics.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[The Effect of Mental Incapacitation on                             |
| Participation]{.underline}**                                          |
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| Prohibited if mentally incompetent.                                   |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-12(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| Note: Because voting machine mechanics do not have to be electors,    |
| this prohibition applies to all election officials other than voting  |
| machine mechanics.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-258 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[English Fluency and Literacy Requirement]{.underline}**            |
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| No Information Available.                                             |
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| **[Good Reputation Requirement]{.underline}**                         |
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| No Information Available.                                             |
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| **[Alternative Positions with Different Requirements]{.underline}**   |
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| No Information Available.                                             |
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| **[Student Election Assistant Statute]{.underline}**                  |
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| May be appointed as a checker, translator or voting machine tender in |
| an election if:                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   16 or 17 year old;                                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   a bona fide resident of a town;                                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   attend poll worker training; and                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   Receive the written permission of a parent, guardian or the       |
|     principal of the school that the citizen attends if the citizen   |
|     is a secondary school student and the citizen is to be appointed  |
|     to work on a day when such school is in session.                  |
|                                                                       |
| *Conn. Gen Stat. § 9-235d (a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
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