AN ACT CONCERNING STATE-WIDE RECOGNITION OF MINOR PARTIES FOR PURPOSES OF NOMINATING PETITIONS.

House of Representatives
HB5434 / File No. 519 1

General Assembly File No. 519
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5434

House of Representatives, April 8, 2026

The Committee on Government Administration and Elections
reported through REP. BLUMENTHAL of the 147th Dist.,
Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the
bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING STATE-WIDE RECOGNITION OF MINOR
PARTIES FOR PURPOSES OF NOMINATING PETITIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 9 -453b of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2027): 2
The Secretary of the State shall not issue any nominating petition 3
forms for a candidate for an office to be filled at a regular election to be 4
held in any year prior to the first business day of such year. The 5
Secretary shall not issue any nominating petition forms unless the 6
person requesting the nominating petition forms makes a written 7
application for such forms, which application shall contain the 8
following: (1) The name or names of the candidates to appear on such 9
nominating petition, compared by the town clerk of the town of 10
residence of each candidate with the candidate's name as it appears on 11
the last-completed registry list of such town, and verified and corrected 12
by such town clerk or in the case of a newly admitted elector whose 13
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name does not appear on the last-completed registry list, the town clerk 14
shall compare the candidate's name as it appears on the candidate's 15
application for admission and verify and correct it accordingly; (2) a 16
signed statement by each such candidate that the candidate consents to 17
the placing of the candidate's name on such petition; and (3) the party 18
designation, if any. An applicant for petition forms who does not wish 19
to specify a party designation shall so indicate on the application for 20
such forms and the application, if so marked, shall not be amended in 21
this respect. No application made after November 3, 1981, shall contain 22
any party designation unless a reservation of such party designation 23
with the Secretary is in effect for all of the offices included in the 24
application or unless the party designation is the same as the name of a 25
minor party [which] that is qualified for a different office or offices on 26
the same ballot as the office or offices included in the application or that 27
is described in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (6) of section 9 -372, as 28
amended by this act. The Secretary shall not issue such forms (A) unless 29
the application for forms on behalf of a candidate for the office of 30
presidential elector is accompanied by the names of the candidates for 31
President and Vice -President whom the candidate for the office of 32
presidential elector represents and includes the consent of such 33
candidates for President and Vice -President; (B) unless the application 34
for forms on behalf of Governor or Lieutenant Governor is accompanied 35
by the name of the candidate for the other office and includes the 36
consent of both such candidates; (C) if petition forms have previously 37
been issued on behalf of the same candidate for the same office unless 38
the candidate files a written statement of withdrawal of the candidate's 39
previous candidacy with the Secretary; and (D) unless the application 40
meets the requirements of this section. A candidacy for nomination by 41
nominating petition to a district or municipal office may be filed on 42
behalf of any person whose name appears on the last-completed registry 43
list of the district or municipality represented by such office, as the case 44
may be. A candidacy for nomination by nominating petition to a state 45
office may be filed on behalf of any person whose name appears on the 46
last-completed registry list of the state. 47
Sec. 2. Section 9 -372 of the general statutes is repealed and the 48
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2027): 49
The following terms, as used in this chapter, chapter 157 and sections 50
9-51 to 9 -67, inclusive, 9 -169e, 9 -217, 9 -236 and 9 -361, shall have the 51
following meanings: 52
(1) "Caucus" means any meeting, at a designated hour and place, or 53
at designated hours and places, of the enrolled members of a political 54
party within a municipality or political subdivision thereof for the 55
purpose of selecting party-endorsed candidates for a primary to be held 56
by such party or for the purpose of transacting other business of such 57
party; 58
(2) "Convention" means a meeting of delegates of a political party 59
held for the purpose of designating the candidate or candidates to be 60
endorsed by such party in a primary of such party for state or district 61
office or for the purpose of transacting other business of such party; 62
(3) "District" means any geographic portion of the state which crosses 63
the boundary or boundaries between two or more towns; 64
(4) "District office" means an elective office for which only the electors 65
in a district, as defined in subdivision (3) of this section, may vote; 66
(5) "Major party" means (A) a political party or organization whose 67
candidate for Governor at the last -preceding election for Governor 68
received, under the designation of that political party or organization, 69
at least twenty per cent of the whole number of votes cast for all 70
candidates for Governor, or (B) a political party having, at the last -71
preceding election for Governor, a number of enrolled members on the 72
active registry list equal to at least twenty per cent of the total number 73
of enrolled members of all political parties on the active registry list in 74
the state; 75
(6) "Minor party" means (A) a political party or organization [which] 76
that is not a major party and whose candidate for the office in question 77
received at the last-preceding regular election for such office, under the 78
designation of that political party or organization, at least one per cent 79
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of the whole number of votes cast for all candidates for such office at 80
such election, or (B) with respect to a candidate applying to appear on a 81
nominating petition for any office in accordance with the provisions of 82
section 9-453b, as amended by this act, a political party or organization 83
that is not a major party and whose candidate for a state office received 84
at the last -preceding regular election for such state office, under the 85
designation of that political party or organization, at least one per cent 86
of the whole number of votes cast for all candidates for such state office 87
at such election; 88
(7) "Municipal office" means an elective office for which only the 89
electors of a single town, city, borough, or political subdivision, as 90
defined in subdivision (10) of this section, may vote, including the office 91
of justice of the peace; 92
(8) "Party designation committee" means an organization, composed 93
of at least twenty-five members who are electors, [which] that has, on or 94
after November 4, 1981, reserved a party designation with the Secretary 95
of the State pursuant to the provisions of this chapter; 96
(9) "Party-endorsed candidate" means (A) in the case of a candidate 97
for state or district office, a person endorsed by the convention of a 98
political party as a candidate in a primary to be held by such party, and 99
(B) in the case of a candidate for municipal office or for member of a 100
town committee, a person endorsed by the town committee, caucus or 101
convention, as the case may be, of a political party as a candidate in a 102
primary to be held by such party; 103
(10) "Political subdivision" means any voting district or combination 104
of voting districts constituting a part of a municipality; 105
(11) "Primary" means a meeting of the enrolled members of a political 106
party and, when applicable under section 9 -431, unaffiliated electors, 107
held during consecutive hours at which such members or electors may, 108
without assembling at the same hour, vote by secret ballot for 109
candidates for nomination to office or for town committee members; 110
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(12) "Registrar" means the registrar of voters in a municipality who is 111
enrolled with the political party holding a primary and, in each 112
municipality where there are different registrars for different voting 113
districts, means the registrar so enrolled in the voting district in which, 114
at the last -preceding regular election, the presiding officer for the 115
purpose of declaring the result of the vote of the whole municipality was 116
moderator; 117
(13) "Slate" means a group of candidates for nomination by a political 118
party to the office of justice of the peace of a town, which group numbers 119
at least a bare majority of the number of justices of the peace to be 120
nominated by such party for such town; 121
(14) "State office" means any office for which all the electors of the 122
state may vote and includes the office of Governor, Lieutenant 123
Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Comptroller, Attorney General and 124
senator in Congress, but does not include the office of elector of 125
President and Vice-President of the United States; 126
(15) "Votes cast for the same office at the last -preceding election" or 127
"votes cast for all candidates for such office at the last -preceding 128
election" means, in the case of multiple openings for the same office, the 129
total number of electors checked as having voted at the last -preceding 130
election at which such office appeared on the ballot. 131
Sec. 3. Section 9 -66 of the general statutes is repealed and the 132
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2027): 133
The provisions of sections 9-51 to 9-67, inclusive, shall extend only to 134
(A) any major party as defined in subdivision (5) of section 9 -372, as 135
amended by this act, and (B) any minor party as defined in subdivision 136
(6) of section 9-372, as amended by this act. In the case of a major party, 137
such provisions shall apply state-wide. In the case of a minor party, such 138
provisions shall apply within the geographical jurisdiction of the office 139
or offices to which such minor party status pertains , as provided in 140
subdivision (6) of section 9-372, as amended by this act. 141
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 January 1, 2027 9-453b
Sec. 2 January 1, 2027 9-372
Sec. 3 January 1, 2027 9-66

GAE Joint Favorable

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill expands ballot access for minor parties if a candidate
nominated by that party for state office received at least 1% of the vote
in the last election, which results in no fiscal impact to the state or
municipalities.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5434

AN ACT CONCERNING STATE -WIDE RECOGNITION OF MINOR
PARTIES FOR PURPOSES OF NOMINATING PETITIONS.

SUMMARY
This bill allows minor party candidates to qualify for ballot access in
state, district, and municipal elections if a candidate under that party’s
designation for any state office received at least 1% of the votes cast for
that office in the last election, rather than on an individual basis for each
elected office as current law requires.
Under state law, “state office” includes the office of governor,
lieutenant governor, secretary of the state , treasurer, comptroller,
attorney general, and U.S. senator , but does not include p residential
electors.
The bill also makes technical and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2027
MINOR PARTY BALLOT ACCESS
Under Connecticut’s election system, candidates running for office
can get their names on the ballot in one of three ways: (1) nomination by
a major party, (2) nomination by a minor party, and (3) nomination by a
nominating petition (CGS § 9 -379). The law differentiates how a
candidate may gain ballot access depending on whether the party is
major or minor.
Under current law, a “minor party” is one that is not a major party
and whose candidate for the office in question received, under the same
party designation, at least 1% of the votes cast for the same office at the
last regular election. In other words, unlike major parties, minor parties
qualify for ballot access on a case -by-case basis and cannot nominate
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candidates to offices for which they have not achieved minor party
status.
By law, if the party does not have minor party status for a particular
office, a person may run under the party’s designation only by
submitting a signed petition to the secretary of the state. Under current
law, it must be signed by (1) 1% of the qualified electors for the same
office in the last-preceding election or (2) 7,500 qualified electors (1% is
usually the lower threshold and therefore the one most petitioners must
meet) (CGS § 9 -453d). For example, if a person is running for state
senator, the petition must be signed by a total number of voters that
equals 1% of all the voters that cast a ballot for that state senate race in
the last election.
The bill instead allows petitioning minor party candidates to qualify
for ballot access for state, district, or municipal offices if a candidate
under that party’s designation received 1% of the votes cast for a state
office in the last election. Under existi ng law, unchanged by the bill,
once a minor party has qualified to nominate a candidate for an office,
the party does not have to submit a petition at the next election for that
office. Failure to consecutively run candidates for that office results in
losing minor party status for that office.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Administration and Elections Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 13 Nay 6 (03/20/2026)