Section 4: Voter Service

Any U.S. citizen who is a bona fide Connecticut resident and will be 18 years old on or before Election Day may register to vote.

In Connecticut, you must complete a voter registration form to apply to become registered to vote. In Presidential elections, non-registered U.S. citizens may vote for President/Vice President using a Presidential Ballot, available at polling places or from their Town Clerk.

Citizens who have been convicted of a felony do not lose their right to vote unless they have been sentenced to confinement in a correctional facility.

Felons who have been confined may restore their right to vote by getting a Certification of Discharge from the Department of Correction or the Court Support Services Division (Probation), and then presenting the Certification to the Town Clerk or Registrars of Voters in the town where they live.

You may apply to become a voter as soon as you move into a residence: there is no waiting period to be eligible. However, there are deadlines to enable election officials to prepare voter lists.

You may complete a voter registration application card at any town/city hall in Connecticut or pick one up at libraries, the Department of Motor Vehicles, other state agency offices, and on the Internet: www.sots.ct.gov . Mail your card to the Registrars of Voters in your town of residence.

Election: Your application must be postmarked or received by a voter registration agency by the 14^th day before an election. You may register in person at your own town/city hall with your Registrars of Voters until 7 days before an election.

Primary: Your application must be postmarked or received by your Registrars of Voters, or by a voter registration agency, by the 5^th day before a primary. You may apply in person to your registrar until 12 noon on the last business day before a primary.

If you are temporarily or permanently disabled, you may have a voter registration application form mailed to you or may request one of your Registrars of Voters to come to your residence.

You are not required to show any identification when you apply to register, although if you are filling out a registration form at your City or Town Hall you may certainly bring proof of identity with you.

You will have to show identification or sign an affidavit to vote each time you go to the polls. Acceptable polling-place identification can be:

If you fail to bring identification ,the affidavit form will be available at your polling place and must be countersigned by an Assistant Registrar of Voters at that poll.

However, if you did not show identification when registering or when voting in an earlier state or local election, in federal elections the affidavit option is not available, and the only acceptable forms of polling-place identification will be

You are assigned to a specific polling place according to your home address. Contact your local Registrars for the location of your polling place.

State and national elections are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Municipal elections, held in odd-numbered years, are scheduled in November in most Connecticut towns. Some towns hold elections in May.

Non-registered or non-resident property owners may be able to vote on certain local tax issues or on town budgets. Call your Registrars or Town Clerk for information.

Polls are open for voting from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Any person in line by 8:00 p.m. may vote. For voting on town referenda, such as local budget votes, hours and polling locations may vary.

You must re-register when you move to a new town within Connecticut. Also, please notify your Registrars of Voters if you change your name (to avoid identification problems at the polls) or if you move within a town (because your polling place may change).

If you have not voted in any of the last four years, your name will not be dropped from the voting registration rolls, but it will be inactivated. If that happens, the Election Moderator or Assistant Registrars at your polling place will be able to phone your town Registrars and get you reactivated. You will not be able to get a ballot until the reactivation process is completed.

A primary is a runoff between candidates within a political party for the nomination for an office. Any registered voter who enrolls in a political party may vote in that party’s primary to choose candidates to represent it in an election. The parties set their own rules and presently allow only party members to vote in a primary.

Political parties provide an organization of voters who share similar views on many issues and provide a vehicle for local action. Joining a party does not obligate you to vote for that party’s endorsed candidates. Only party members may vote in primaries and nominate candidates for election through a caucus, Town Committee, or convention process. Joining a party enables you to participate:

· at the state and national levels as an elected delegate to the party’s conventions.

· at the local level to choose delegates to conventions, to nominate municipal candidates, or to serve on the party’s Town Committee. Many Town Committees nominate and endorse candidates for municipal offices, boards, and commissions.

To join a political party, you may designate a party affiliation either when you register or any time thereafter. You can drop or change your party affiliation by notifying your Registrars by using a new mail-in registration card.

If you change parties, your new party privileges become effective after 3 months. A list of major and minor parties in Connecticut is available from the Office of the Secretary of the State.

Your goals for any voter registration drive depend on the nature of the community and your resources – time, people and money. What are the areas of greatest need in your community: retirement and nursing homes? Shelters for abused women? Schools and colleges? Set an achievable goal.

Strive to maintain a good working relationship with your Registrars of Voters. Alert them to your registration efforts.

Many groups plan registration drives before major elections. Seek ways to coordinate and share information. Successful drives need many contacts, skills and volunteers, so take advantage of each group's special strengths. One group, such as the League, may have good relations with election officials, while another may have access to under-registered groups such as youth or minorities. Some Leagues have found registration drives on college campuses are very effective if they work with student government groups who help publicize and carry out these registration drives on their campuses.

Make sure that your coalition partners are clear about and willing to abide by the rules for nonpartisanship. This means, alas, that if one of the local party organizations asks for your League’s help with a drive, you’ll have to decline unless they promise to keep their campaign materials away from the drive – and they usually won’t.

Volunteers will need to be knowledgeable about how to fill out forms and get them to the Registrars of Voters promptly. If you are not sure of proper procedures contact your Registrars of Voters for a quick review.

Although no ID is required when filling out a mail-in-registration form, the League and many Registrars encourage use of an ID when registering. Make sure your volunteers are given a list of what kinds of ID are acceptable.

Remember to plan for supplies that you will need: mail-in registration forms (including some in Spanish), pens, voting district maps, tables and chairs, nonpartisan League publications, etc.

You can get mail-in registration forms from either your local Registrars of Voters or (in bulk) from the Secretary of the State’s office. The Federal Voter Registration Form, intended for use in assisting persons who wish to register outside of Connecticut, is also available from the Secretary of the State’s office (1-800-540-3764).

Know the requirements for keeping your drive nonpartisan and be sure that all groups and volunteers involved understand and observe the rules: do not advocate for positions on issues, political parties or candidates while registering voters.

A person who provides voter registration services at designated agencies cannot display a political or party affiliation, may not try to influence an applicant’s choice of party affiliation or discourage an applicant from registering. Volunteers can speak to the importance of registering in a party as a means to participating in the primary process.

League members are bound by law not to promote any candidate, ballot issue or public policy question when registering voters. This includes promoting membership in LWV. An information brochure about registering and voting (such as the LWVCT's A Guide to Voter Registration and Election Procedures in Connecticut) is appropriate and may list the Registrars of Voters and/or League’s name and phone numbers for additional information.

Failure of League members to adhere to the law could jeopardize the League’s status as a tax-exempt organization.

In Connecticut a person is eligible to register to vote if he/she is a United States citizen; a bona fide resident of a Connecticut city or town; and will be at least 18 years old by Election Day. Seventeen-year-olds may pre-register at any time but cannot vote until they reach age 18.

Registrars are required to hold a session between January 1^st and the last day of the school year. Contact your local Registrars and your high schools to make sure that plans are in place for student voter registration before the close of the school year. Some schools prefer to do a registration drive themselves, in which case the local League can supply registration forms and League voters service publications such as A Guide to Voter Registration and Election Procedures in Connecticut and Connecticut.: A Guide to State Government. If asked, you may supply the Directory of Connecticut's Federal & State Elected Officials, but do not volunteer it: the League does not want to be seen as promoting incumbents over challengers.

College students may use their home address or their college address when they register.

If a student wishes to register while in Connecticut but use his/her out-of-state home address for registration purposes, the student must complete a Federal registration card (available through the Secretary of the State's office). Students registering at an out-of-state address must also comply with the home state registration requirements and can vote only with that state’s absentee ballot or by traveling back to their home polling place.

Those students registering at their Connecticut college address can apply to be registered using a Connecticut registration form.

Volunteers who are registering college students at a Connecticut college address should always obtain the address of any previous voter registration to avoid double-registration.

The Secretary of the State’s office is willing and happy to clarify any issues for League members before they embark on a registration drive (800-509-6200). However, the closer you get to election day, the busier that office will be. Please plan your calls accordingly.

SAMPLE HANDOUT FOR NEWLY-REGISTERED VOTERS

(based on a flyer designed and used by the LWV of Southeastern Connecticut)

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ________________

Thank you for registering to vote today. Your voter registration form will be delivered or mailed to your Registrars of Voters within the next few days.

Please note: you are not a voter until your application is approved by the Registrars of Voters in your city or town. You should receive a confirmation within 3 weeks. If you do not, contact the Registrars in your town hall.

When you vote, remember to bring with you a copy of a current and valid photo ID showing your current address or, if your photo ID does not have your current address, bring any photo ID that you have and a copy of a current lease, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and current address, in order to avoid additional ID requirements the first time you vote.

ELECTION DAY 2007 IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

FIND OUT WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE SAYING:

There will be a debate between [Town’s] [two] candidates for [seat]on [date and place] [That debate will also be on TV. Check your newspaper or TV listing for details.]

Most Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) activities are undertaken by political party organizations; the League does not usually get involved. However, in 1997, the LWVUS rolled out a GOTV initiative. The goals of the GOTV efforts conducted by the LWVEF and state and local Leagues were to:

· Establish national and local GOTV initiatives working in collaboration with diverse partner organizations;

· Provide GOTV training and resources for League members as well as the broader GOTV community;

· Provide underrepresented populations with voter education services and eliminate obstacles to voting by providing rides to the polls, child care and phone banking; and

Form a broad coalition with local affiliates of organizations such as the NAACP, Chinese-American Organizations or Rock the Vote. These organizations are often highly trained in mobilization efforts and can help craft the message and strategy of your campaign. (Begin your partnership with other organizations by joining theirs. When you join diverse organizations, you send a strong message that you are committed to creating long-term, ongoing relationships.)

Don’t think you have to increase voter turnout dramatically the first time out. A realistic first goal is to lay the groundwork for increasing future voter turnout among underrepresented populations. It may take many months of networking and building trust to gain entree into a new community – that in itself is a real achievement!

Narrow the scope of your campaign to one district or precinct. You’ll be much more successful working in a smaller target area, effectively increasing your ratio of volunteers to potential voters.

Be creative! If you are targeting youth, redesign your traditional election materials to reflect the tastes of that audience. Don’t be afraid to ask people in the targeted community what messages attract them. Who are their role models? What issues are important to them? If useful, try to have materials translated into other languages as well as having materials available in Braille or on audio tape.

Repeat contact works best! Saturate targeted populations with reminder phone calls, door hangers, mailings and face-to-face contact such as town meetings, pro-and-con discussions of ballot initiatives and debates.

Record the name, phone number and address of every person contacted. This is the only way you can conduct phone banking, door-to-door canvassing and post-election polling.

Once the election is over, it is important to continue working in your targeted areas. You can help establish a pattern of consistent voting by giving the League a constant presence in diverse communities. Bring future League projects back to these communities.

Elections have been decided by absentee votes and the process must be scrupulously honest. Misuse of absentee ballots can be reduced if all voters know and understand the rules of the process.

2) To get an absentee ballot the voter first signs an application for the ballot so that the Town Clerk or Registrars of Voters can check that the voter is registered to vote.

3) In a primary election a person can vote only if enrolled with that specific political party.

4) The voter’s absentee ballot must be received by the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. in order to be counted. Voters can only vote once, either as an absentee voter or at the polls. People who have voted absentee but then decide to vote at the polls must report to the Town Clerk’s office before 10:00 a.m. on Election Day and withdraw their absentee ballot.

5) Voters should know that VOTING IS A PERSONAL RIGHT AND NOBODY CAN VOTE FOR YOU. Anyone can help a person apply for an absentee ballot. Also, if someone needs help in filling out the absentee ballot because of blindness, disability, or inability to write or read the ballot, that person may get assistance from anyone he or she chooses EXCEPT his or her employer, the employer’s agent, or an officer or agent of his or her union. If a person is unable to write, he or she may ask a helper of his/her choice to fill the ballot out in his/her presence. However, the voter must express his or her wishes to that person and not let that person tell the voter how to vote. The voter must sign his or her name on the ballot envelope. The assistant must also add the word “by” and his or her own signature.

6) If any helper tries to influence the voter’s choice, the voter should report it to his or her local Registrars of Voters.

7) There are penalties for making a false statement or signing the name of another person.

Because of changes in the state’s absentee ballot application process, the Board has decided that Leagues will not distribute applications for absentee ballots during their registration drives, and will provide information only as to where absentee ballot applications can be obtained, such as Town Clerks’ offices.

Public Act 05-235, which was signed into law by Governor Rell on July 8, 2005, imposed a number of new requirements on people who distribute absentee ballots.

Please note that the requirements for ballot application distributors apply to “any person,” not just to candidates, party or campaign workers.

1. Voters’ guides are published to help voters make informed choices between candidates.

2. Responses should reflect the views of the candidates in order to meet this goal.

3. Responses discussing positions of opponents do not serve this goal and are unacceptable for publication. If a candidate makes negative accusations about his opponent, it is important not to publish these since the opponent will have no comparable opportunity to refute such accusations.

This policy should be communicated to candidates when they receive their letter or e-mail requesting responses to our questions. Responses judged not to be within the policy should be returned to the candidate on receipt, with a reasonable deadline for revision and return.

The published version of the guide should contain a disclaimer that states that the League publishes responses as submitted, and that the League is not responsible for the accuracy of any statements made.

Most newspapers and many Leagues put word limits on candidates’ responses for voters’ guides. If you must do so, you have two choices:

To be most effective, a voters’ guide should be published as early as possible in the campaign. If possible, write your contact letters/e-mails to primary candidates immediately after the filing deadline; write to the general election candidates immediately after the primary (or primary deadline).

2. Board, VP/VS, or Voters’ Guide Coordinator develops a candidate list with addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and any other useful campaign contact information.

4. Voters’ Guide Coordinator prints and mails letters with questionnaires. You should do this even if also e-mailing. Use your League letterhead.

7. If you are producing a printed voters’ guide, the Guide Coordinator assembles the responses into camera-ready format.

8. If you are doing an on-line voters’ guide, the guide coordinator forwards the responses to your Webmaster. If print, she forwards the camera-ready copy to the printer or newspaper.

9. The Webmaster creates the on-line voters’ guide; the paper creates the print guide.

10. If possible, VP/VS and Voters’ Guide Coordinator do an initial review of the galley proofs and/or web page.

12. Your PR Chair and/or voters’ guide coordinator announce and promote the guide.

If newspaper publication is not possible for your guide, and you want to reach people who may not have internet access, consider distribution via

When the LWVCT does a Voters’ Guide (usually only in even-numbered years, and usually for federal and state-wide races only) it will be posted on the LWVCT website and made available to local Leagues to download into their printed and web-based voters’ guides.

Do you want to be able to reach hundreds of voters – free? This year, the League of Women Voters of the Greater Cityville Area is pleased to be able to offer Cityville voters an on-line Voters’ Guide for the [primary][general] election.

The Voters’ Guide will provide voters with a means of comparing candidates based on their responses to questions that are of importance to the citizens of our state and town. Unlike other publications of this kind, the LWV Greater Cityville Area Voters’ Guide does not edit or interpret candidate responses – they are published exactly as submitted.

The Voters’ Guide will appear on the [website][web page] of The League of Women Voters of the Greater Cityville Area from [July xx] through the [primary][general] election on [Sept. x][Nov. x].

To participate in the LWV Greater Cityville Area Voters’ Guide for the 2007 [primary] [general] election, please provide the following in electronic format (preferably MS Word, but text or RTF will also work):

This invitation will be extended to all candidates who are on the ballot as of the filing deadline.

Please note that where we have set a word limit, your biography or answer(s) will be cut off after the 75^th word. Please submit your materials on or before the close of business on [Friday], [date], to [lwvct@lwvct.org]. If you want a chance to review your posting, please submit by [date minus 5 days]. If you have any questions, please call [000-000-0000, or e-mail us at _________@lwvct.org]

Section 4: Voter Service

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