Absentee Ballots
Scroll down or click links for specific types of Absentee Ballot Information listed below including Emergency Absentee Ballot Information and Referendum Absentee Ballot Information.
PERMANENT ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Pursuant to Public Act No. 12-57, the Connecticut General Assembly created permanent absentee balloting status for certain individuals that became effective January 1, 2013. Those electors with permanent disabilities may apply for this status which will enable them to automatically receive an Absentee Ballot for each election, primary and referendum in the municipality in which they are eligible to vote. It eliminates the need for an elector to fill out an application before each election.
To qualify, an elector must file an initial Absentee Ballot Application form with the Town Clerk's office together with a doctor's certificate stating that they have a permanent disability that will not allow them to appear at their polling place. This doctor's certification must be done on the physician's letterhead and include the original signature of the certifying doctor. Each January, the Registrar of Voters will be required to verify by notice the residency of such qualified electors. Click here for an informative brochure from the League of Women Voters of Connecticut. Click here for Frequently Asked Questions on Permanent Absentees from the League of Women Voters.
ABSENTEE BALLOT VOTING
Any elector may vote by absentee ballot if one of the following is applicable:
- Absent from the town of residence
- Sickness
- Physical disability
- Active service in the Armed Forces of the United States
- Religious tenets which forbid secular activity on election, primary or referendum day
- Duties as a primary, election or referendum official at a polling place other than the official's place of voting during all of the hours of voting
An Absentee Ballot Application form may be printed from this site or obtained from the Town Clerk's office either in person or through the mail. Please note that this form is designed for legal paper - so please reduce when printing so that the full form appears on the page. We are unable to accept partial forms. Completed applications must be returned to the Town Clerk's office of the town where the applicant is an elector. Please note: a power of attorney cannot be used for an absentee ballot application, the voter must sign the application. Ballots must be given or mailed directly to the applicant; they may not be given to another person for delivery to the applicant.
Completed ballots must be received by the Town Clerk's office by the close of polls in order to be counted. An elector who votes by absentee ballot may return the ballot in person by the day before the election or primary or mail the ballot so that it it received by the Town Clerk's office by the close of polls. If mailing, please mail early enough to allow sufficient time for the post office to transport and deliver the ballot on or before election or primary day.
UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) establishes procedures that allow members of the US Armed Forces and electors temporarily residing overseas to request voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications by mail or electronically. Access the Connecticut Secretary of State's site for applications and a link to the Federal Voting Assistance Program website to fill out a Federal Postcard Application which can serve as both an application for Voter Registration and an application for an Absentee Ballot for voters residing outside the United States of America.
Absentee ballots may not be issued on election day, except electors who suddenly become ill within six days immediately preceding the close of the polls at the election or who are patients in a hospital within such six-day period, may apply for and be issued an absentee ballot up to the close of the polls. In order to do so, such electors must designate an individual to receive their ballot and bring it to them to be voted and then return the voted ballot to the Town Clerk's office. The voter should complete the Emergency Application for Absentee Ballot to be brought to the Town Clerk's office by the designee. The voted ballot must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office by the close of polls on Election or Primary Day.
ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR REFERENDUM
Typically the Budget Referendum is scheduled with less than three weeks notice, which means that a different process applies for individuals to obtain an Absentee Ballot. An Application for Absentee Ballot for Referendum form may be printed from this site or obtained from the Town Clerk's office. This application must be returned in person by the individual requesting the ballot or their designee. The ballot will only be issued in person. The ballots are not mailed out to the voter due to the short time frame to return the completed ballot by the close of polls on the day of the Referendum.
Completed ballots must be received by the Town Clerk's office by the close of polls in order to be counted. A voter may return the absentee ballot by mail or in person by the day before the referendum. The person's designee may return the completed ballot in person or mail the ballot so that it it received by the Town Clerk's office by the close of polls.
If you have any questions on this process, please do not hesitate to contact this office.