Sec. 9-400. Filing of candidacies; state or district office.
Sec. 9-400. Filing of candidacies; state or district office. (a) A candidacy for
nomination by a political party to a state office may be filed by or on behalf of any
person whose name appears upon the last-completed enrollment list of such party in
any municipality within the state and who has either (1) received at least fifteen per cent
of the votes of the convention delegates present and voting on any roll-call vote taken on
the endorsement or proposed endorsement of a candidate for such state office, whether or
not the party-endorsed candidate for such office received a unanimous vote on the last
ballot, or (2) circulated a petition and obtained the signatures of at least two per cent of
the enrolled members of such party in the state, in accordance with the provisions of
sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive. Candidacies described in subdivision (1) of this
subsection shall be filed by submitting to the Secretary of the State not later than four
o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day following the close of the state convention, a certificate, signed by such candidate and attested by either (A) the chairman or presiding
officer, or (B) the secretary of the convention, that such candidate received at least
fifteen per cent of such votes, and that such candidate consents to be a candidate in a
primary of such party for such state office. Such certificate shall specify the candidate's
name as the candidate authorizes it to appear on the ballot, the candidate's full residence
address and the title of the office for which the candidacy is being filed. A single such
certificate or petition for state office may be filed on behalf of two or more candidates
for different state offices who consent to have their names appear on a single row of the
primary ballot label under subsection (b) of section 9-437. Candidacies described in
subdivision (2) of this subsection shall be filed by submitting said petition not later than
four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-third day preceding the day of the primary for such office
to the registrar of voters of the towns in which the respective petition pages were circulated. Each registrar shall file each page of such petition with the Secretary in accordance
with the provisions of section 9-404c. A petition filed by or on behalf of a candidate for
state office shall be invalid for such candidate if such candidate is certified as the party-endorsed candidate pursuant to section 9-388 or as receiving at least fifteen per cent of
the convention vote for such office pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided
in section 9-416a, upon the expiration of the time period for party endorsement and
circulation and tabulation of petitions and signatures, if any, if one or more candidacies
for such state office have been filed pursuant to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of the State shall notify all town clerks in accordance with the provisions of section
9-433, that a primary for such state office shall be held in each municipality in accordance
with the provisions of section 9-415.
(b) A candidacy for nomination by a political party to a district office may be filed
by or on behalf of any person whose name appears upon the last-completed enrollment
list of such party within any municipality or part of a municipality forming a component
part of such district and who has either (1) received at least fifteen per cent of the votes
of the convention delegates present and voting on any roll-call vote taken on the endorsement or proposed endorsement of a candidate for such district office, whether or not
the party-endorsed candidate for such office received a unanimous vote on the last ballot,
or (2) circulated a petition and obtained the signatures of at least two per cent of the
enrolled members of such party in the district for the district office of representative in
Congress, and at least five per cent of the enrolled members of such party in the district
for the district offices of state senator, state representative and judge of probate, in
accordance with the provisions of sections 9-404a to 9-404c, inclusive. Candidacies
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be filed by submitting to the Secretary of the State not later than four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day following the
close of the district convention, a certificate, signed by such candidate and attested by
either (A) the chairman or presiding officer, or (B) the secretary of the convention, that
such candidate received at least fifteen per cent of such votes, and that the candidate
consents to be a candidate in a primary of such party for such district office. Such
certificate shall specify the candidate's name as the candidate authorizes it to appear on
the ballot, the candidate's full residence address and the title and district of the office
for which the candidacy is being filed. Candidacies described in subdivision (2) of this
subsection shall be filed by submitting said petition not later than four o'clock p.m. on
the sixty-third day preceding the day of the primary for such office to the registrar of
voters of the towns in which the respective petition pages were circulated. Each registrar
shall file each page of such petition with the Secretary in accordance with the provisions
of section 9-404c. A petition may only be filed by or on behalf of a candidate for the
district office of state senator, state representative or judge of probate who is not certified
as the party-endorsed candidate pursuant to section 9-388 or as receiving at least fifteen
per cent of the convention vote for such office pursuant to this subsection. A petition
filed by or on behalf of a candidate for the district office of representative in Congress
shall be invalid if said candidate is certified as the party-endorsed candidate pursuant
to section 9-388 or as receiving at least fifteen per cent of the convention vote for such
office pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided in section 9-416a, upon the expiration of the time period for party endorsement and circulation and tabulation of petitions
and signatures, if any, if one or more candidacies for such district office have been filed
pursuant to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of the State shall notify all town
clerks within the district, in accordance with the provisions of section 9-433, that a
primary for such district office shall be held in each municipality and each part of a
municipality within the district in accordance with the provisions of section 9-415.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the number of enrolled members of a party shall
be determined by the latest enrollment records in the office of the Secretary of the State
prior to the earliest date that primary petitions were available. The names of electors on
the inactive registry list compiled under section 9-35 shall not be counted for purposes
of computing the number of petition signatures required under this section, as provided
in section 9-35c.
(d) On the last day for filing primary petition candidacies in accordance with the
provisions of this section, the office or office facilities of the registrars of voters shall
open not later than one o'clock p.m., and remain open until at least four o'clock p.m.,
and such registrars or the deputy or assistant registrars shall be present.
(June, 1955, S. 589d; November, 1955, S. N70; 1957, P.A. 518, S. 17; 1958 Rev., S. 9-98; 1963, P.A. 17, S. 28; 1967,
P.A. 557, S. 13; 1969, P.A. 694, S. 13; P.A. 73-657, S. 9, 13; P.A. 79-616, S. 5; P.A. 81-447, S. 9, 23; P.A. 87-382, S. 41,
55; 87-472, S. 9; P.A. 93-342, S. 2; P.A. 03-241, S. 26; P.A. 06-137, S. 6.)
History: 1963 act restated previous provisions; 1967 act added clarifying language concerning candidacy of person
whose name appears on enrollment list of party within any municipality or part forming a component part of a district and
provided for application of section to state representative of a district whose boundaries include a part or whole of two or
more towns; 1969 act made technical changes; P.A. 73-657 added detailed language concerning the fact that assembly
districts affected are those whose boundaries extend within the whole or parts of two or more towns; P.A. 79-616 provided
that within 14 days following the close of state or district conventions a candidacy for nomination may be filed, a written
statement of consent signed by the candidate, and if one or more such candidacies are filed a primary shall be held, applying
to those who received at least 20% of convention delegates votes on roll call and deleted all provisions pertaining to
petitions and the signatures required thereon, and filing fees required; P.A. 81-447 amended section to require filing of
certificate by candidates receiving 20% of convention votes and to specify certificate contents, effective January 1, 1982;
P.A. 87-382 added, in Subsecs. (a) and (b), "as he authorizes it to appear on the ballot"; P.A. 87-472 amended Subsec. (a)
to allow single certificate for state office to be filed on behalf of two or more candidates for different state offices who
consent to have their names appear on single row of primary ballot label under Sec. 9-437(b); P.A. 93-342 substituted 15%
for 20% in Subsecs. (a) and (b); P.A. 03-241 substantially revised Subsecs. (a) and (b) by adding provisions to allow
candidacies to also be filed by persons who circulate petition and obtain signatures of threshold percentages of enrolled
party members and added Subsecs. (c) and (d) re determination of number of enrolled party members and required office
hours of registrars of voters on last day for filing primary petition candidacies, effective January 1, 2004, and applicable
to primaries and elections held on or after that date; P.A. 06-137 amended Subsec. (a) to change the deadline for filing of
petitions described in Subdiv. (2) from four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth day following the close of the state convention
to four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-third day preceding the day of the primary for the office and to change the time period
for notification by the Secretary of the State to town clerks re the holding of a primary for state office from upon the
expiration of the 14-day period and completion of the tabulation of petition signatures, if any, to upon the expiration of
the time period for party endorsement and circulation and tabulation of petitions and signatures, if any, and amended
Subsec. (b) to change the deadline for filing of petitions described in Subdiv. (2) from four o'clock p.m. on the fourteenth
day following the close of the district convention to four o'clock p.m. on the sixty-third day preceding the day of the
primary for the office and to change the time period for notification by the Secretary of the State to town clerks within the
district re the holding of a primary for district office from upon the expiration of the 14-day period and completion of the
tabulation of petition signatures, if any, to upon the expiration of the time period for party endorsement and circulation
and tabulation of petitions and signatures, if any, effective January 1, 2007.
See Sec. 9-406a re penalty for fraudulent certification.