(a) Either registrar of voters may, not more than ninety days before the day of an election, in a form to be prescribed by the Secretary of the State, direct the municipal clerk forthwith to mail an absentee ballot, with the necessary envelopes and instructions, to the best-known address, within the knowledge of the registrar issuing such direction, of an elector or applicant for admission as an elector who is living outside the territorial limits of the several states of the United States and the District of Columbia or who is a member of the armed forces, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces living where such member is stationed, whether such address is a home address or an armed service address, and such direction shall constitute sufficient application for such absentee ballot. The municipal clerk may, during such period, so act of his own motion and without waiting for the direction of a registrar of voters or other application, if the clerk first completes and retains in his records as an application the same direction form as is used by a registrar of voters.

(b) Within the time limits in subsection (b) of section 9-158c for availability of overseas ballots, either registrar of voters may, in a form to be prescribed by the Secretary of the State, direct the municipal clerk forthwith to mail an overseas ballot, with the necessary envelopes and instructions, to the best-known address, within the knowledge of the registrar issuing such direction, of a citizen of the United States who is eligible to vote as an overseas elector under sections 9-158a to 9-158m, inclusive, and such direction shall constitute sufficient application for such absentee ballot. Such ballot shall not be counted unless an application form prescribed in subsection (b) of section 9-158d is received by the town clerk prior to the day of the election or primary. The municipal clerk may, during such period, so act on his own motion and without waiting for the direction of a registrar of voters or other application, if the clerk first completes and retains in his records as an application the same direction form that is used by a registrar of voters.

(1949 Rev., S. 1136; 1953, S. 629d; 1957, P.A. 517, S. 4; February, 1965, P.A. 158, S. 2; 1967, P.A. 176, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 4, S. 1; P.A. 75-310, S. 6, 11; P.A. 84-319, S. 44, 49; P.A. 86-179, S. 25, 53; P.A. 91-351, S. 20, 28; P.A. 93-384, S. 23, 28; P.A. 97-154, S. 13, 27.)

History: 1965 act changed from not more than “two months” to “ninety days” before election time in which upon direction of a registrar absentee ballot to be mailed, effective for all elections on or after January 1, 1966; 1967 act added “spouse or dependent of member of armed forces living where member is stationed”, effective for all elections on or after January 1, 1968; 1969 act added authority for municipal clerk to mail ballots without waiting for direction of a registrar; P.A. 75-310 changed mailing period to 30 days before election, effective January 1, 1976; P.A. 84-319 amended section to permit mailing of absentee ballot up to 90 days before election, where prior limit was 30 days; P.A. 86-179 made technical changes; Sec. 9-143 transferred to Sec. 9-153d in 1987; P.A. 91-351 authorized registrars to direct clerk to mail absentee ballot to elector or applicant living outside United States; P.A. 93-384 designated existing section as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re mailing overseas ballots to U.S. citizens eligible to vote as overseas electors, effective January 1, 1994; P.A. 97-154 deleted provisions that forms prescribed by the Secretary of the State be provided by the secretary, effective July 1, 1997.

See Sec. 9-153e re alternate application procedure for certain military personnel.