The general election takes place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, and requires a large team of dedicated people to ensure our citizens can exercise their right to vote. Eight years ago, the Connecticut Bar Association and the Secretary of the State formed a joint program called the "Secretary's Legal Assistance Project." The program trains volunteer attorneys to assist the Secretary of the State and be on call to respond to problems on Election Day.
Complications at polling places on Election Day can be serious. The role of the volunteer attorney is to serve as a neutral source of information. Since this program began, volunteer attorneys have made a critical difference in being able to sort out the facts of a situation, report back to the Secretary, and then communicate her directives.
Because volunteer attorneys serve as a designee of the Secretary of the State, they must do so in a neutral, non-partisan capacity. Volunteer attorneys will be asked to complete a survey that will provide contact information and availability, undergo an hour-long webinar training on either October 19 at 5:00 pm ET or October 20 at Noon ET, and be available on Election Day. There will be one CT CLE credit for attending the training. If you previously attended the August training, you will not have to attend the October training, and you will also receive one CLE credit for the August training.
There should be no need to take the day off from work on November 3 for the general election. The Secretary of the State will contact the volunteer attorneys as needed to respond to any 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 Election Day in the Secretary’s Legal Assistance Project, please fill out the
online registration form by Wednesday, October 14. Please contact Bill Chapman at (860) 707-3309 or at
bchapman@ctbar.org with any questions.