Primary Election Day requires a large team of dedicated people to ensure our citizens are able to exercise their right to vote. Eight years ago, the Connecticut Bar Association and the Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill formed a joint program called the "Secretary's Legal Assistance Program." The program trains volunteer attorneys to assist the Secretary of the State and be on call to respond to polling issues on Election Day, Tuesday, August 11.
Complications at polling places on Primary Election Day can be serious. The role of the volunteer attorney is to serve as a neutral source of information. Since this program began, these volunteer attorneys have made a critical difference in being able to sort out the facts of a situation, report back to Secretary Merrill, and then communicate her directives.
Because volunteer attorneys serve as an agent of the Secretary of the State, they must do so in a neutral, non-partisan capacity. Volunteer attorneys will be asked to provide contact information, undergo a webinar training, on August 3 at 5:00 p.m. or 4 at 12:00 p.m. (which will be recorded), and be available on Primary Election Day; there is likely no need to take the day off from work. The Secretary of the State will contact the volunteer attorneys as needed to respond to an election complication in the attorney's assigned location(s).
If you are actively involved in a political campaign, or if you or a family member are a candidate whose name appears on the ballot, you are prohibited from participating in the program.
If you are interested in participating on Primary Election Day, please fill out the
online registration form by Wednesday, July 29. Contact Bill Chapman at (860)707-3309 or at
bchapman@ctbar.org with any questions.