(a) Each citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, and who is a bona fide resident of the town to which the citizen applies for admission as an elector shall, on approval by the registrars of voters or town clerk of the town of residence of such citizen, as prescribed by law, be an elector, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. For purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to have attained the age of eighteen years on the day of the person's eighteenth birthday and a person shall be deemed to be a bona fide resident of the town to which the citizen applies for admission as an elector if such person's dwelling unit is located within the geographic boundaries of such town. No mentally incompetent person shall be admitted as an elector.

(b) Any citizen who will have attained the age of eighteen years on or before the day of a regular election may apply for admission as an elector. If such citizen is found to be qualified the citizen shall become an elector on the day of the citizen's eighteenth birthday. The registrars shall add the name of any person applying under this subsection, if found qualified, to the registry list and, if applicable, to the enrollment list, together with the effective date of his registration. The registrars may place the name of each such person at the end of the registry and enrollment lists for the voting district.

(1949 Rev., S. 991; 1953, S. 513d; 1963, P.A. 645, S. 1; February, 1965, P.A. 407, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 10; P.A. 73-630, S. 1, 19; P.A. 75-210; 75-565, S. 2, 5; P.A. 77-244, S. 1, 4; P.A. 81-350, S. 4, 17; P.A. 87-382, S. 2, 55; P.A. 94-121, S. 9, 33; P.A. 95-171, S. 2, 14; P.A. 97-67, S. 5, 9; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 103; P.A. 07-194, S. 41.)

History: 1963 act deleted provision prohibiting imposition of new qualifications on present electors; 1965 act removed requirement of at least a year's residency in the state; 1972 act changed the qualifying age from 21 to 18; P.A. 73-630 removed town residency requirement of six months and substituted therefor “is a bona fide resident of the town” and removed the reading and character requirements; P.A. 75-210 substituted “mentally incompetent” for “idiot or mentally ill”; P.A. 75-565, effective January 1, 1976, added exception re Secs. 9-19e and 9-30; P.A. 77-244 added “and subsection (b) of this section” to the exceptions in P.A. 77-565, designated the previously enacted statute and amendments as Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) providing for qualifying and applying for admission as electors within the four-month period prior to an election of those attaining age 18 on or before the day of a regular election; P.A. 81-350 extended period for preregistration of 17-year-olds from four to six months prior to eighteenth birthday and provided that a person is deemed to be 18 on the day of his eighteenth birthday; P.A. 87-382 substituted “one hundred eighty days” for “six months” in Subsec. (b); P.A. 94-121 amended first sentence of Subsec. (a) by substituting “approval by the registrars of voters or town clerk of the town of residence of such citizen, as” for “taking the oath” and deleting references to Secs. 9-19e and 9-30 in the exception clause of the same sentence, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 95-171 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision limiting applicability by 17-year-old citizens to a period of 180 days prior to election, effective October 1, 1995, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; P.A. 97-67 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re placement of names at end of registry and enrollment lists, effective July 1, 1997; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 made technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality in Subsecs. (a) and (b), and amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “will have attained the age of eighteen years on or before the day of a regular election” for “has attained the age of seventeen years”, effective January 1, 2004; P.A. 07-194 added provision in Subsec. (a) re person deemed to be a bona fide resident of town.

Cited. 31 CS 454.