AN ACT CONCERNING OBSERVATION OF THE CONDUCT OF ELECTION RECANVASS PROCEDURES.

Senate
sSB467 / File No. 573 1

General Assembly File No. 573
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 467

Senate, April 9, 2026

The Committee on Government Administration and Elections
reported through SEN. FLEXER of the 29th Dist., Chairperson
of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute
bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING OBSERVATION OF THE CONDUCT OF
ELECTION RECANVASS PROCEDURES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsections (b) to (d), inclusive, of section 9-311 of the 2026 1
supplement to the general statutes, as amended by section 92 of public 2
act 26 -1, are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 3
(Effective from passage): 4
(b) (1) The moderator shall determine the place or places where the 5
recanvass shall be conducted and, if such recanvass is held before the 6
tabulators are boxed and collected in the manner required by section 9-7
266, the moderator may require that such recanvass of such tabulators 8
be conducted in each place where the tabulators are located, or the 9
moderator may require that such tabulators be removed to one central 10
place where such recanvass shall be conducted. [All recanvassing 11
procedures shall be open to public observation, subject to the provisions 12
of subsection (d) of this section. ] Such recanvass officials shall, in the 13
sSB467 File No. 573

sSB467 / File No. 573 2

presence of such moderator and registrars of voters, make a record of 14
the number on the seal and the number on the protective counter, if one 15
is provided, on each voting tabulator specified by such moderator. Such 16
registrars of voters in the presence of such moderator shall turn over the 17
keys of each such tabulator to such recanvass officials, and such 18
recanvass officials, in the presence of such registrars of voters and 19
moderator, shall immediately proceed to recanvass the vote cast 20
thereon, and shall then open the package of absentee ballots and 21
recanvass the vote cast thereon. In the course of the recanvass of the 22
absentee ballot vote the recanvass officials shall check all outer 23
envelopes for absentee ballots against the inner envelopes for such 24
ballots and against the registry list to verify postmarks, addresses and 25
registry list markings and also to determine whether the number of 26
envelopes from which absentee ballots have been removed is the same 27
as the number of persons checked as having voted by absentee ballot. 28
The write-in ballots shall also be recanvassed at this time. Any party 29
representative present shall have a right to view each ballot as it is being 30
recanvassed by the recanvass officials, so as to be able to discern the 31
markings on such ballot. All of the recanvass officials shall use the same 32
forms for tallies and returns as were used at the original canvass and the 33
absentee ballot counters shall also sign the tallies. 34
(2) (A) Subject to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section: 35
(i) All recanvassing procedures shall be open to public observation 36
and shall afford members of the public the right to observe such 37
procedures in person and without the need to so observe through 38
electronic means; 39
(ii) The moderator shall not impede the ability of members of the 40
public to observe such recanvassing procedures; and 41
(iii) Any moderator who violates the provisions of subparagraph 42
(A)(i) or (A)(ii) of this subdivision shall be fined not less than one 43
hundred dollars. 44
(B) Nothing in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall be 45
sSB467 File No. 573

sSB467 / File No. 573 3

construed to allow any member of the public observing recanvass 46
procedures pursuant to said subparagraph to interfere with the conduct 47
of a recanvass. 48
(c) The votes shall be announced and recorded in the manner 49
prescribed in section 9-309 on return forms provided by the registrars of 50
voters and appended thereto shall be a statement signed by the 51
moderator indicating the time and place of the recanvass and the names, 52
addresses, titles and party affiliations of the recanvass officials. The 53
write-in ballots shall be replaced in a properly secured sealed package. 54
Upon the completion of such recanvass, any tabulator used in such 55
recanvass shall be locked and sealed, the keys thereof shall immediately 56
be returned to such registrars of voters and such tabulator shall remain 57
so locked until the expiration of fourteen days after such election or for 58
such longer period as is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. 59
The absentee ballots shall be replaced in their wrappers and be resealed 60
by the moderator in the presence of the recanvass officials. Upon the 61
completion of such recanvass, such moderator and at least two of the 62
recanvass officials of different political parties shall forthwith prepare 63
and sign such return forms which shall contain a written statement 64
giving the result of such recanvass for each tabulator and each package 65
of absentee ballots whose returns were so recanvassed, setting forth 66
whether or not the original canvass was correctly made and stating 67
whether or not the discrepancy still remains unaccounted for. Such 68
return forms containing such statement shall forthwith be filed by the 69
moderator in the office of such clerk. If such recanvass reveals that the 70
original canvass of returns was not correctly made, such return forms 71
containing such statement so filed with the clerk shall constitute a 72
corrected return. In the case of a state election, a recanvass return shall 73
be made in duplicate on a form prescribed and provided by the 74
Secretary of the State, and the moderator shall file one copy with the 75
Secretary of the State and one copy with the town clerk not later than 76
ten days after the election. Such recanvass return shall be substituted for 77
the original return and shall have the same force and effect as an original 78
return. 79
sSB467 File No. 573

sSB467 / File No. 573 4

(d) (1) The moderator may, when any disorder arises that interferes 80
with the conduct of a recanvass, including any attempt by a person other 81
than a recanvass official to take part in such recanvass or by such a 82
person to communicate with a recanvass official, and the offender 83
refuses to submit to the moderator's lawful authority, order that the 84
offender be removed by the recanvass officials from such recanvass until 85
the offender conforms to order or, if need be, until such recanvass is 86
completed. 87
(2) Each political party or, in the case of an office subject to recanvass 88
for which there is more than one candidate from a political party, each 89
candidate may appoint one representative to communicate directly with 90
the moderator during a recanvass. 91
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage 9-311(b) to (d)

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
Subsections (c) and (d) were added for clarity.

GAE Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

sSB467 File No. 573

sSB467 / File No. 573 5

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:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Elections Enforcement
Commission
GF - Potential
Revenue Gain
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill: (1) clarifies that recanvasses must be open to in -person
observation; (2) prohibits moderators from impeding public
observation; and (3) establishes a fine of at least $100 for moderators
who violate the provisions of the bill, resulting in a potential minimal
revenue increase to the State Elections Enforcement Commission
(SEEC), beginning in FY 27. The exact revenue will depend on the
number of violations and the value of the fines imposed.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future, subject to the number of violations and the fines
imposed.

sSB467 File No. 573

sSB467 / File No. 573 6

OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 467

AN ACT CONCERNING OBSERVATION OF THE CONDUCT OF
ELECTION RECANVASS PROCEDURES.

SUMMARY
State law requires that election recanvasses (recounts) must generally
be open to public observation. This bill (1) specifically requires the m to
be open to in-person observation and not just electronically, (2) specifies
that moderators may not impede members of the public from observing,
and (3) establishes a fine of at least $100 for moderators who violate
these provisions. (The bill does not specify a maximum allowable
amount for the fine nor how it will be imposed or enforced.)
The bill specifies that these provisions may not be construed to allow
the public to interfere in a recanvass. By law, unchanged by the bill, a
moderator may order the removal of a person from a recanvass if
disorder happens that interferes with the recanvass and the offender
refuses to submit to the moderator’s lawful authority.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Administration and Elections Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 19 Nay 0 (03/23/2026)