(a) The Secretary of the State may not count for purposes of determining compliance with the number of signatures required by section 9-453d the signatures certified by the town clerk on any petition page filed under sections 9-453a to 9-453s, inclusive, or 9-216 if: (1) The name of the candidate, his address or the party designation, if any, has been omitted from the face of the petition; (2) the page does not contain a statement by the circulator as to the residency in this state and eligibility of the circulator and authenticity of the signatures thereon as required by section 9-453j or upon which such statement of the circulator is incomplete in any respect; or (3) the page does not contain the certifications required by sections 9-453a to 9-453s, inclusive, by the town clerk of the town in which the signers reside. The town clerk shall cure any omission on his part by signing any such page at the office of the Secretary of the State and making the necessary amendment or by filing a separate statement in this regard, which amendment shall be dated.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Secretary of the State shall approve every nominating petition which contains sufficient signatures counted and certified on approved pages by the town clerks. In the case of a candidate who petitions under a reserved party designation the Secretary shall approve the petition only if it meets the signature requirement and if a statement endorsing such candidate is filed with the Secretary by the party designation committee not later than four o’clock p.m. on the sixty-second day before the election. In the case of a candidate who petitions under a party designation which is the same as the name of a minor party the Secretary shall approve the petition only if it meets the signature requirement and if a statement endorsing such candidate is filed in the office of the Secretary by the chairman or secretary of such minor party not later than four o’clock p.m. on the sixty-second day before the election. No candidate shall be qualified to appear on any ballot by nominating petition unless the candidate's petition is approved by the Secretary pursuant to this subsection.

(c) The Secretary of the State may approve a nominating petition received under section 9-453k at any time except such approval shall be withdrawn if sufficient signatures are withdrawn under section 9-453h.

(1971, P.A. 806, S. 16; P.A. 81-447, S. 13; P.A. 83-475, S. 34, 43; P.A. 85-577, S. 18; P.A. 03-241, S. 57; P.A. 11-173, S. 23.)

History: P.A. 81-447 replaced former Subsec. (b) with new Subsec. requiring filing of a statement endorsing petitioning candidate with secretary of the state prior to approval of petition by secretary, and added Subsec. (c) permitting independent review of petitions by secretary; P.A. 83-475 amended section to establish time limit for filing endorsements on fifty-fifth day before election and to eliminate subsection requiring independent review of petitions by the secretary of the state; P.A. 85-577 amended Subsec. (c) to allow approval of a nominating petition received under Sec. 9-453k at any time rather than prior to tenth week before election but not earlier than final date for a major party endorsement for the office specified in the petition; P.A. 03-241 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by inserting “residency in this state and eligibility of the circulator and”, effective July 9, 2003, and applicable only to petitions circulated on or after that date; P.A. 11-173 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “fifty-fifth day” with “sixty-second day”, effective July 13, 2011.