HB 5529 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING POLL BOOKS FOR THE CHECKING OF ELECTORS AT ELECTIONS, PRIMARIES AND REFERENDA.

This bill requires voter registrars in Connecticut to notify political committees, candidate committees, and referendum committees at least 14 days before any election, primary, or referendum about whether poll books will be paper-based or electronic. The law directly affects these committees by informing them of the voting method used to check electors at polling places or early voting locations. Registrars who fail to provide this notice face a fine of at least $50. The changes take effect on January 1, 2027, and aim to increase transparency about how voter checklists will be processed during elections.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 6, 2026 Last action Apr 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GAE Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' following a favorable joint recommendation by the General Assembly and Elections committees. The substantive policy change involves clarifying which groups must receive notice about the format of voter checklists (paper or electronic) before elections. The revised text explicitly lists town committees, specific referendum committees, and candidate committees as the required recipients, replacing a previous, less specific list.

Scope change

The scope of entities required to receive notice was clarified and expanded to explicitly include 'town committees' and specific types of referendum and candidate committees.

REQUIREMENT

The list of committees that must receive notice regarding the format of voter checklists was updated to explicitly include 'town committees,' specific referendum committees, and candidate committees.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'primary' was removed from the list of terms defined by reference to other statutes.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was changed from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' to reflect its status as a joint favorable substitute.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

lower

Mar 6, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors