Advice From SOTS

When a voter changes their address on an AB application is it necessary to have them either fill out a new registration card or register online? Or is the filing of the AB application sufficient? This question came up because we understand we cannot reactivate a voter simply based on their filing an AB application.

Yes there is a statute that allows the registrars to change the address of a voter within their municipality when they receive reliable information. Certainly, a signed and executed absentee ballot application would be reliable information.

What can a Deputy, who is running to be the Registrar do on Election Day?

With the recent change in law a deputy registrar can perform official duties on election day just like a registrar running for re-election.

We have a question regarding any type of guidance or rule for allowing dogs in a polling place. 

Is it limited to service dogs only? 

Is it limited to service dogs and emotional support animals?

Service dogs or miniature horses only. (This is from the Department of Justice through the Secretary of the State's office!)

I have received some petitions which were reduced to letter-size prior to asking people to sign.  May I accept them if everything else is in good order?

Yes

A circulator submitted two pieces of paper.  One was a signature page (front) of a petition.  The second was the page of statements and certification (back) of a petition.

The circulator is a verified member of the party.

The circulator submitted only the two pieces of paper.  She did not submit multiple petitions.

The circulator's statement was appropriately witnessed by the Assistant Town Clerk.

May I accept this petition and these signatures? 

Yes.  We encourage those people to staple those two pages together.   we home printers no having duplicate functions it would be difficult for those circulators. 

Other registrars have reported, and I have personally experienced, situations where voters think they have only updated their address at DMV and their party affiliation has been removed.  This does not happen through OLVR, only through DMV.

If a voter was previously a member of a party and the only indication we have of a change to unaffiliated is from the DMV, and the voter arrives at the polls and is insistent and our records confirm they have always been in the party prior to the DMV change, can we allow the voter to vote in the primary under clerical error and have them fill out a voter registration card with the correction at the polls?

If they document their mistake with dmv. 

If someone checks NO to "Will you be 18 on or before election day" but fills out the rest of the form and signs the affirmation which only says "I am at least 17 years old" can we save those cards and process them after the election at which point they will turn 18 before the next election?

No because it expressly says they should not complete the card. 

Is it correct that the Ballot Clerk should not mention that there is a question on the ballot when distributing the ballots to voters? 

Correct 

Reviewing materials including the Recanvass Procedure Manual and the Recanvass OLR dated October 2, 2017 we have questions about observers. The OLR note says according to the Recanvass Procedure Manual,  "each candidate subject to a recanvass may have two representatives present to observe the conduct and take notes." The Manual suggests any member of the general public who is interested in attending can do so. Please clarify if the number of observers is limited to two. We are getting questions on this.

Can we limit observers to a location of the recanvass rooms? How close can the observers come to the poll workers processing the ballots? Do we have to allow observers to wander in the operation?

So representatives of the party (who can stand closer to the action) is limited to 2.  General public can also attend but can be kept at a distance.