Notwithstanding the provisions of section 9-140, any elector who is living, or expects to be living or traveling before and on election day, outside the territorial limits of the several states of the United States and the District of Columbia and any member of the armed forces who is an elector or an applicant for admission as an elector, or the member's spouse or dependent if living where such member is stationed, may apply for a blank absentee ballot to vote for all offices being contested at an election or primary. Application shall be made upon a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State or on the federal postcard application form provided pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 100 Stat. 924, 42 USC 1973ff et seq., as amended from time to time, or any other applicable law. The municipal clerk receiving such an application shall, as soon as a complete list of candidates and questions to be voted upon at such election or primary becomes available, issue the ballot either by mail or electronic means, as requested by the elector, which shall be the blank ballot prescribed and provided by the Secretary of the State under section 9-153e. The clerk shall include with the ballot a complete list of the offices to be voted upon, the number of individuals for which each elector may vote, the candidates, and, in the case of an election, the party designation of each candidate and questions to be voted upon. If such ballot is issued by electronic means, the clerk shall include a certification prescribed by the Secretary of the State that the elector shall be required to complete, sign and return with the completed ballot in order for such ballot to be counted. If application for an absentee ballot is made at the time of availability of regular absentee ballots as provided in section 9-140, the provisions of section 9-140 shall prevail. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the procedures governing the issuance of ballots under this section shall conform as nearly as may be to the procedures provided in section 9-140.

(P.A. 84-319, S. 3, 49; P.A. 86-179, S. 27, 53; P.A. 87-382, S. 14, 55; P.A. 89-297, S. 12, 18; P.A. 90-156, S. 6, 11; P.A. 93-30, S. 13, 14; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1, S. 39.)

History: P.A. 86-179 made technical changes and deleted provision re write-in of name of candidate which is printed on ballot; Sec. 9-143b transferred to Sec. 9-153f in 1987; P.A. 87-382 applied provisions of section to any armed forces member who is an elector or an applicant for admission and to member's spouse or dependent if living where member stationed, provided for absentee ballot to be blank instead of containing titles of contested offices, required clerk to include list of offices to be voted upon with ballot and repealed provision permitting elector to vote by writing in a party preference; P.A. 89-297 provided for blank absentee ballot for any election or primary instead of for a regular election only; P.A. 90-156 authorized elector who “expects to be living or traveling before and on election day” outside of U.S. to apply for blank ballot; P.A. 93-30 updated reference to federal act, effective July 1, 1993; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1 added provisions re issuance of ballot either by mail or electronic means and made technical changes, effective June 22, 2010.