Sec.9-242a-25. Central counting of absentee ballots

If registrars of voters choose to use an approved marksense voting tabulator to count absentee ballots at a central location, on election day the central counting officials shall deliver the voting tabulator, and at the times prescribed by law, absentee ballots, to the central counting place. The central counting officials shall examine the label on the tabulator to ensure that it is the correct tabulator for the central counting place. The central counting officials shall give the municipal clerk a receipt for the absentee ballots received and shall give the registrars a receipt for the tabulator. The central counting officials shall transport the absentee ballots and tabulator to the central counting place and shall immediately deliver them to the central counting moderator. The central counting moderator shall give the central counting officials a receipt and shall keep a copy for his records. The central counting officials and central counting moderator shall record the number on the seal, prepare the voting tabulator in the manner provided in section 9-242a-9 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and follow the instructions prescribed by the Secretary of the State. Before processing absentee ballots through the voting tabulator, the absentee ballot counters shall set aside for counting by hand those ballots which the Secretary of the State prescribes cannot be processed by the voting tabulator. The Secretary of the State shall prescribe the method for counting absentee ballots when a vacancy occurs after absentee ballots are issued. If an overvote message appears on the voting tabulator and there appears to be an overvote, the officials shall override the message and process the ballot with the overvote. If the voting tabulator rejects an absentee ballot as a blank ballot, the absentee ballot shall be counted by hand. The absentee ballots which are counted by hand shall be counted in accordance with the law governing counting absentee ballots and shall be sealed in depository envelopes. The absentee ballot counters shall record the result of the count of the handcounted absentee ballots on the separate record prescribed by law to be placed with the handcounted absentee ballots and report such result to the central counting moderator. The results of the voting tabulator processed absentee ballots shall be printed out at the close of the polls. The Secretary of the State shall prescribe the procedure to safeguard the voting tabulator and the voting tabulator processed absentee ballots on election, primary or referendum day, after each time prescribed for processing absentee ballots. The Secretary of the State may prescribe that on election, primary or referendum day, after the first time period prescribed for processing absentee ballots (1) the voting tabulator processed absentee ballots be removed and sealed in a labeled depository envelope, (2) the absentee ballots in the write-in bin be removed, the votes cast for the office in which the elector indicated a write-in vote be counted by hand and the ballots be sealed in a labeled depository envelope, (3) the public counter and seal on the tabulator be noted, (4) the registrars of voters store the tabulator in a secure location and (5) 14 days following the election the registrars return to the municipal clerk all sealed and labeled packages of absentee ballots. After the close of the polls, the absentee ballot counters shall unlock and remove all the ballots from the write-in bin. They shall count by hand the votes cast for the office in which the elector indicated a write-in vote. They shall record on the moderator's returns the write-in votes in accordance with the law governing write-in ballots. The absentee ballot counters shall seal the write-in ballots in a depository envelope marked "write-in" and place them in the ballot transfer case. Voting tabulator counted absentee ballots shall be placed in the ballot transfer case. The central counting moderator and absentee ballot counters shall follow the procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the State for shutting down the voting tabulator and producing the election results report. The central counting moderator and counters shall sign two copies of the election results report, attach one to the moderator's return and post one in the central counting location. The central counting moderator shall record on the moderator's return prescribed by the Secretary of the State the result of the count of the absentee ballots counted by hand and counted by voting tabulator. The central counting moderator shall announce the results of the absentee ballot vote for each candidate and question. No person shall make known the count of absentee ballots prior to the time for the closing of the polls. The central counting moderator shall follow the procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the State and return the keys, the tabulator, the ballot transfer case, the moderator's return with the election results report attached and other election materials to the registrars of voters. The registrars of voters will file the moderator's return with the municipal clerk by noon of the day following the primary or election. The registrars of voters shall store absentee ballots in a secure location for 14 days after which the ballots shall be given to the municipal clerk for the remaining storage period.

(Adopted effective October 1, 1999; Amended March 27, 2008)