HB 5531 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING FAITHFUL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.

This bill requires all presidential elector candidates to sign a pledge committing to vote for the party's or write-in candidate's nominees for President and Vice President if they are elected. It mandates that the Secretary of State reject any electoral college ballots that do not align with the signed pledge and allows for the replacement of electors who refuse to comply or vote inconsistently with their pledge. The legislation also specifies procedures for filling vacancies in the electoral college and outlines how electors must cast their votes and submit official certificates.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 6, 2026 Last action Apr 29, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GAE Joint Favorable Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' following a favorable recommendation by the General Assembly. The text was reorganized to improve clarity, specifically by renumbering sections and consolidating the rules for filling vacancies in the presidential elector office. The core policy regarding pledges and ballot counting remains substantively the same.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the modifications are structural and editorial rather than substantive policy shifts.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was changed from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' to reflect its status as a revised version approved by the legislature.

Section numbering was reorganized and renumbered to align with the new structure, moving content from lines 16-19 to lines 16-19 in the new sequence.

The text describing the process for filling vacancies in the presidential elector office was streamlined by removing redundant phrases like 'his or her' and combining related sentences for better readability.

The final section regarding the transmission of certificates was restructured to remove a redundant introductory sentence, making the instructions for the Secretary of the State more direct.

Floor votes · House Apr 28, 2026

How they voted

101–43

Passed · 6 other

Total votes 150

Apr 28, 2026

D Democratic101

97 Yea 4

96% Yea

R Republican49

4 Yea 43 Nay 2

87% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

HOUSE PASSED

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

lower

Mar 6, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections

lower

5 primary · 0 co-sponsors