(a)(1) A person who is denied admission as an elector may appeal a decision of an admitting official of a town concerning the right of such person to be or remain an elector. Any such appeal shall be made to the registrars of voters of such town, except that if the admitting official who made such decision is a registrar of voters, the appeal shall be made to the board for admission of electors of such town.

(2) Notice of an appeal shall be in writing and delivered to the registrars or to the board for admission of electors. Within seven days after receipt of a notice of appeal, the registrars or the board, as the case may be, shall give written notice of the time and place where such appeal will be heard to the appellant and to the admitting official whose decision is the subject of the appeal. Such appeal shall be heard within twenty-one days after notice of the appeal is delivered to the registrars or the board. Neither a registrar whose decision is the subject of the appeal nor a registrar who is an appellant shall be a voting member of the board which hears the appeal.

(3) The registrars or the board may receive sworn testimony and any other evidence relating to the qualifications of such person to be or remain an elector.

(4) Within seven days after hearing an appeal, the registrars or the board shall render a decision and shall send written notice of the decision to the appellant and the admitting official whose decision was the subject of the appeal.

(b) (1) The person whose right to be or remain an elector is in dispute may appeal the decision of the registrars or the board for the admission of electors under subsection (a) of this section to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. If an appeal is not made to the commission as provided in this subsection, the decision of the registrars or the board shall be final.

(2) Any such appeal shall be in writing and filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission at its principal offices not later than fourteen days following the decision of the registrars or the board. A copy of any such notice of appeal shall also be delivered within such time to the registrars or the board that rendered the decision under subsection (a) of this section.

(3) The registrars or the board shall, not later than ten days after receipt of a copy of the notice of appeal, deliver the record of the hearing of the registrars or board under subsection (a) of this section to the commission.

(4) The commission shall hear such appeal not later than twenty-one days after notice of appeal is filed with the commission. Such hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-176e to 4-180a, inclusive, and section 4-181a. The commission may consider the record of the hearing delivered by the registrars or the board and may examine witnesses, documents and any other evidence that it determines may have a bearing on the proper determination of the issues brought on appeal. The commission's hearing shall be recorded.

(5) The commission shall render its decision not later than sixty days after the close of its hearing, except that an extension of time may be granted by the commission upon application of any party that sets forth circumstances that the commission determines is appropriate to granting an extension of time. The commission may also initiate an extension of time for rendering its decision, after written notice to the parties, provided all of the parties before the commission give their prior written consent.

(6) The decision of the commission shall determine the person's right to be or remain an elector. If any such decision is adverse to such individual's right, the commission shall order both registrars to remove the elector's name from the town's active and inactive registry list and any enrollment list. Any person whose name has been so removed may reapply for admission as an elector with the registrars of voters of the same town at any time. If such application is made within four years after the commission's decision, both registrars may approve such application only after they find that there has been a substantial change in the circumstances that provided the basis for the commission's decision and that the individual is eligible to be an elector. Registrars who approve an individual's application for admission within this time period without a substantial change in circumstances may be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the commission in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-7b if the commission determines, following a written complaint filed with the commission pursuant to said section 9-7b, that the registrars' action was without good cause and constitutes a wilful violation of a prior order of the commission.

(P.A. 81-350, S. 1, 17; P.A. 05-235, S. 7; P.A. 06-196, S. 51.)

History: P.A. 05-235 redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (a)(1), redesignated existing Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) as Subdivs. (2), (3) and (4), respectively, of Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (a)(2) to prohibit a registrar who is an appellant from being a voting member of the board hearing the appeal, made conforming changes throughout Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) allowing appeal of decision of registrars or board to State Elections Enforcement Commission, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(4), effective June 7, 2006.