Connecticut § 7-171 - Adoption of bazaar and raffle law. Opt-out.

§ 7-171. Adoption of bazaar and raffle law. Opt-out.

Sec. 7-171. Adoption of bazaar and raffle law. Opt-out. (a) Prior to October 1, 2023, any town, city or borough may, by ordinance, adopt the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the chief executive authority of any town, city or borough shall, upon the petition of at least five per cent of the electors of such municipality as determined by the last-completed registry list, submit the question of adopting the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, to a vote of the electors of such municipality at a special meeting called for such purpose within twenty-one days after the receipt of such petition. Such petition shall contain the street addresses of the signers and shall be submitted to the municipal clerk, who shall certify thereon the number of names of electors on such petition, which names are on the last-completed registry list. Each page of such petition shall contain a statement, signed under the penalties of false statement, by the person who circulated the same, that each person whose name appears on such page signed the same in person and that the circulator either knows each such signer or that the signer satisfactorily identified such signer to the circulator. The warning for such meeting shall state that the purpose of such meeting is to vote on the adoption of the provisions of said sections. Such vote shall be taken and the results thereof canvassed and declared in the same manner as is provided for the election of officers of such municipality. The vote on such adoption shall be taken by a “YES” and “NO” vote on the voting tabulator and the designation of the question on the voting tabulator ballot shall be “Shall the operation of bazaars and raffles be allowed?” and such ballot shall be provided for use in accordance with the provisions of section 9-250. If, upon the official determination of the result of such vote, it appears that the majority of all the votes so cast are in approval of such question, the provisions of said sections shall take effect immediately. Any town, city or borough, having once voted on the question of allowing bazaars and raffles as herein provided, shall not vote again on such question within two years from the date of the previous vote thereon. Any subsequent vote thereon shall be taken at the next regular town, city or borough election following the receipt of a petition as herein provided, which petition shall be filed at least sixty days prior to such election, and such question may be so voted upon only at intervals of not less than two years. Any town, city or borough which, prior to October 1, 1957, has voted more than once on such question, shall, for the purposes of this subsection, be treated as though it had voted only once thereon.

(b) On and after October 1, 2023, each town, city and borough shall be deemed to have adopted the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive. Any town, city or borough may, by ordinance, opt out of the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the chief executive authority of any town, city or borough shall, upon the petition of at least five per cent of the electors of such municipality as determined by the last-completed registry list, submit the question of opting out of the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, to a vote of the electors of such municipality at a special meeting called for such purpose within twenty-one days after the receipt of such petition. Such petition shall contain the street addresses of the signers and shall be submitted to the municipal clerk, who shall certify thereon the number of names of electors on such petition, which names are on the last-completed registry list. Each page of such petition shall contain a statement, signed under the penalties of false statement, by the person who circulated the same, that each person whose name appears on such page signed the same in person and that the circulator either knows each such signer or that the signer satisfactorily identified such signer to the circulator. The warning for such meeting shall state that the purpose of such meeting is to vote on opting out of the provisions of said sections. Such vote shall be taken and the results thereof canvassed and declared in the same manner as is provided for the election of officers of such municipality. The vote on such adoption shall be taken by a “YES” and “NO” vote on the voting tabulator and the designation of the question on the voting tabulator ballot shall be “Shall the operation of bazaars and raffles be disallowed?” and such ballot shall be provided for use in accordance with the provisions of section 9-250. If, upon the official determination of the result of such vote, it appears that the majority of all the votes so cast are in approval of such question, the provisions of said sections shall no longer be effective in such municipality. Any town, city or borough, having once voted on the question of disallowing bazaars and raffles as herein provided, shall not vote again on such question within two years from the date of the previous vote thereon. Any subsequent vote thereon shall be taken at the next regular town, city or borough election following the receipt of a petition as herein provided, which petition shall be filed at least sixty days prior to such election, and such question may be so voted upon only at intervals of not less than two years.

(1955, S. 292d; 1957, P.A. 378; 1971, P.A. 871, S. 59; P.A. 73-55, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-170, S. 4, 13; P.A. 87-320, S. 3; P.A. 11-20, S. 1; P.A. 23-98, S. 21.)

History: 1971 act substituted “false statement” for “perjury”; P.A. 73-55 added provision that municipalities may adopt provisions of Secs. 7-170 to 7-186 by ordinance; P.A. 86-170 required that ballot label designation be in form of question; P.A. 87-320 repealed clause prohibiting absentee voting for a vote under this section and required petition for subsequent vote to be fixed at least 60 days, instead of 21 days, prior to such election; pursuant to P.A. 11-20, “machine” and “ballot label” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “tabulator” and “ballot”, respectively, effective May 24, 2011; P.A. 23-98 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and made technical and conforming changes therein, and added Subsec. (b) providing that municipalities shall be deemed to have adopted Secs. 7-170 to 7-186 and establishing opt-out, effective July 1, 2023.