SB 459 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CIRCULATION OF PRIMARY AND NOMINATING PETITIONS AND DISTRIBUTION OF ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS.

This bill requires that anyone collecting signatures for primary election petitions be a registered party member of the municipality where they circulate the petition, and it mandates that petition pages include a registrar statement confirming the circulator's status. The legislation also introduces criminal background checks for all petition circulators and prohibits individuals convicted of crimes under election laws from circulating petitions during probation, parole, and for twelve years after release. Additionally, the bill restricts candidates from circulating petitions for other candidates in the same race and limits how many petition pages a single person can collect. These measures apply to both the Secretary of the State and local registrars who process and verify petition pages.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 6, 2026 Last action Apr 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GAE Joint Favorable Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill,' indicating it has been amended and approved by the General Assembly. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a mandatory nationwide criminal background check for all petition circulators to enforce restrictions on individuals with felony convictions. Additionally, new requirements were added to petition pages to explicitly document that signatures were obtained in person and that the circulator verified the signer's identity.

Scope change

The bill's scope of enforcement was expanded to require a state-wide criminal background check on every petition circulator, whereas previously only specific prohibitions existed without a mandated verification mechanism.

ENFORCEMENT

Mandates a nationwide criminal background check on every petition circulator to ensure compliance with bans on felons serving as circulators.

REQUIREMENT

Requires petition pages to include a statement from the circulator attesting that signatures were obtained in person and that the signer's identity was verified.

Adds a new eligibility criterion for primary petition circulators, specifying they must be enrolled party members of a municipality in the state.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' and updated the page headers to reflect the new legislative status.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors