You asked if all registrars of voters in Connecticut are elected or if some are appointed.

Registrars of voters must be elected unless a special act or municipality’s charter permits them to be appointed (CGS § 9-185). However, this option does not apply to deputy, assistant or special assistant registrars. Each registrar must appoint a deputy and can, when the need arises, appoint assistant and special assistant registrars (CGS § 9-192).

Presently, registrars are elected in every municipality except New London where they are appointed, according to Attorney Ted Bromley, Secretary of the State’s Elections Division. In New London, the town committee of the two major parties each appoints one registrar. The town committee also fills vacancies in this office (New London Charter § 78a).

By law, there must generally be two registrars of voters for each municipality. The legislative body of a town with at least two voting districts may, however, establish registrars who are elected in each district (CGS § 9-190). According to Bromley, all municipalities, except North Branford, currently have registrars that represent the entire municipality.

In municipalities where registrars are elected, political parties each endorse a candidate for the office who lives in the municipality. If the party-endorsed candidate is challenged, the candidates meet in a primary and the winner of the primary is the party nominee. The top vote getters from each party at the regular state election become registrars. However, if a major party candidate is not one of the top vote getters, that candidate is also declared an elected registrar for a total of three registrars. As used here, “major party” means one with the largest or next to the largest number of enrolled party members in the state, as determined by the latest enrollment records in the Office of the Secretary of the State.

If there are no challengers to the party-endorsed candidates, the candidates’ names are placed on the ballot at the regular state election and a single vote is enough for them to win the election (CGS § 9-190a).

SN-E: ro