Sec. 9-26. Application of member of armed forces or related group or person temporarily residing outside of the United States who is unable to appear in person.

Any person who, because of service in the armed forces, membership in the United States Merchant Marine, membership in a religious or welfare group or agency attached to and serving with the armed forces or civilian employment with the United States or because he is a spouse or dependent of any such person, and any person who because of temporary residence outside the territorial limits of the several states of the United States and the District of Columbia, may, at any time, in the manner and upon a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State, make application, in person or by mail, to the town clerk of such town for such examination and for admission as an elector. Upon such form, signed by the applicant, he shall state under penalties of perjury, his name, bona fide residence by street and number, if any, in such town and date of birth, and that he is, at the time of making such application, a citizen of the United States. He shall also state that he is (1) a member of the armed forces, of the merchant marine or of a religious or welfare group or agency attached to and serving with the armed forces, (2) a civilian employee of the United States, (3) a spouse or dependent of any person described in subdivision (1) or (2), or (4) a person temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the several states of the United States and the District of Columbia. The person shall also state the date of his induction into such armed forces or the date of his joining the merchant marine or such religious or welfare group or agency or of his entering United States employment or moving temporarily outside the territorial limits of the several states of the United States and the District of Columbia; whether his privileges as an elector are forfeited by reason of conviction of crime; and whether he is, at the time of making such application, registered as an elector in any other town in this or any other state. The application form shall provide for application for enrollment in any political party and shall indicate that such enrollment is optional. No Social Security number on any such form filed prior to January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to the public or to any governmental agency. The town clerk may accept such fully completed form as evidence of the qualifications of the applicant to be admitted as an elector. The application for admission as an elector shall include a statement that (A) specifies each eligibility requirement, (B) contains an attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement and (C) requires the signature of the applicant under penalty of perjury. In lieu of the application form prescribed by the secretary under this section, any such person may apply for registration and enrollment on the federal postcard application form provided pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 100 Stat. 924, 42 USC 1973ff et seq., as amended from time to time, or any other applicable law.

(1949 Rev., S. 1023; 1953, S. 528d; 1961, P.A. 266, S. 3; 1963, P.A. 403, S. 2; February, 1965, P.A. 407, S. 9; 1967, P.A. 390, S. 3; 1969, P.A. 694, S. 3; 1972, P.A. 264, S. 3; P.A. 73-630, S. 11, 19; P.A. 79-366, S. 1; P.A. 80-281, S. 5, 31; P.A. 81-350, S. 8, 17; 81-472, S. 7, 159; P.A. 82-472, S. 25, 183; P.A. 83-391, S. 6, 24; P.A. 93-30, S. 10, 14; 93-230, S. 3, 8; 93-384, S. 20, 28; P.A. 94-121, S. 20, 33; P.A. 99-268, S. 42, 46; P.A. 00-169, S. 22.)

History: 1961 act added requirement that, if applicant acquired citizenship by reason of being born abroad of a United States citizen parent or through the naturalization of a parent or spouse, he must present evidence of citizenship as prescribed in Sec. 9-27; 1963 act extended absentee admission privilege to members of the United States merchant marine and of religious or welfare groups or agencies attached to and serving with the armed forces, to civilian employees of the United States and to spouses or dependents of any such persons and provided that attestation of the application form may be executed by a consul, vice consul or deputy consul representing the United States in a foreign country in addition to a commissioned officer in the armed forces; 1965 act amended requirement for information on length of time in residency to include only in such town; 1967 act deleted requirement in case of married woman for information on the date of marriage and birthplace of husband, added requirement for information on maiden name and deleted requirement for applicant who was foreign born to furnish documentary evidence of citizenship, effective January 1, 1968; 1969 act changed reading requirements to any article of the constitution or any section of the statutes; 1972 act changed inability to appear before board for admission to inability to appear at office of town clerk or registrars or at any session of the board, and further provided for town clerk rather than board to accept fully completed form, effective January 1, 1973; P.A. 73-630 deleted certain provisions applying only to spouses or dependents and deleted requirement that form contain attestation concerning the ability to read the English language; P.A. 79-366 deleted requirement for information as to single or married status, and, if married woman, name of husband and maiden name; P.A. 80-281 added provision that members of the armed forces or merchant marine and their spouses and dependents may use the federal postcard application form in lieu of form prescribed and that failure of applicant to take elector's oath of Connecticut on such postcard application will not invalidate the application; P.A. 81-350 clarified that application is to be made to the clerk or board for admission of electors of the town in which the applicant is a bona fide resident at the time of application; P.A. 81-472 and P.A. 82-472 made technical corrections; P.A. 83-391 deleted references to sessions of board for admission of electors and provided for administration of elector's oath in a foreign country by any American citizen; P.A. 93-30 updated reference to federal act, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-230 added provisions re request for applicant to furnish his Social Security number, effective January 1, 1994; P.A. 93-384 extended provisions of section to persons having temporary residence outside the United States and the District of Columbia, provided for application form to be prescribed by secretary of the state instead of the form prescribed in Sec. 9-27, required form to provide for application for enrollment and required applicant to complete form and self-administer oath under penalties of false statement instead of taking oath before an official, effective January 1, 1994; P.A. 94-121 repealed applicability to persons who expect to be unable to appear in person for examination, substituted “penalties of perjury” for “penalties of false statement”, repealed requirement that applicant state birthplace and requirements re elector's oath and added provision re statement required to be included in application, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 99-268 repealed requirement that form include request for applicant to furnish Social Security number and extended prohibition on disclosure of Social Security numbers on forms to the public or to any governmental agency, effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section.