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Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut establishes mandatory risk-limiting post-election audits and ballot manifests starting in 2027
Last action · April 20, 2026: Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, SenateSponsor: Rob Sampson
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What This Bill Proposed
Starting January 1, 2027, registrars of voters in Connecticut must conduct public s of state elections following procedures set by the Secretary of the State. The legislation also requires polling places and central counting locations to create s within 72 hours after polls close and establishes a three-municipality pilot program for risk-limiting audits in 2026.
Changes post-election review procedures across every municipality by requiring manual checks of statistical paper ballot samples, establishing new deadlines for election return filings, and altering timelines for candidates filing court challenges or requests.
- Connecticut conducts regular state elections and municipal elections governed by Title 9 of the general statutes. context
- The Government Administration and Elections Committee handles legislative proposals concerning election laws, voting procedures, and campaign finance in the Connecticut General Assembly. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
registrars of voters
Registrars of voters must conduct mandatory risk-limiting audits, submit ballot manifests, and comply with Secretary of the State procedures.
election officials
Election officials who participate in audit administration are compensated by municipalities at standard rates of pay and must create ballot manifests.
The University of Connecticut
The university is required to analyze audit results forwarded by the Secretary of the State and submit a written report identifying any concerns or discrepancies.
candidates and electors
Candidates and electors gain specific timelines to file legal complaints and challenges following audit outcomes.
Key Facts
- Beginning January 1, 2027, registrars of voters must conduct a risk-limiting audit of state elections between the 15th day after an election and two business days before the canvass of votes.
- Offices subject to risk-limiting audits include presidential electors, state offices, randomly selected congressional representatives, and at least five percent of state senator and representative offices.
- The risk limit for each audit shall be set at not more than five percent.
- Audit results must be reported to the Secretary of the State and immediately forwarded to The University of Connecticut for analysis and reporting to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.
Show all 9 facts
- If a risk-limiting audit produces an outcome of 'INCONCLUSIVE', the Secretary of the State must order a manual recount of all ballots cast for that office.
- Election officials in each polling place and absentee ballot counter in central locations must create a ballot manifest within 72 hours after the close of polls at each state election.
- Complaints regarding election rulings or vote counts filed in response to an audit must be brought to court within seven days after the close of the audit.
- The Secretary of the State shall establish a pilot program for conducting risk-limiting audits at state elections in 2026 across three randomly selected municipalities of varying population sizes.
- Municipal clerks must return statements of elected municipal officials to the Secretary of the State not later than the last day of the month in which the municipal election was held.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a risk-limiting audit?
Who analyzes the results of the post-election audits?
When must ballot manifests be created after an election?
What happens if a risk-limiting audit is inconclusive?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Tabled in the Senate.
Procedural history
16 actions- Apr 20, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyNo New File by Committee on Appropriations
- Apr 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 17, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Apr 15, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyImmediate Transmittal
Show 10 earlier actions
- Apr 15, 2026SenateReferred by Senate to Committee on Appropriations
- Apr 9, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 564
- Apr 9, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 330
- Apr 9, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 9, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 2, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/08/26 5:00 PM
- Mar 23, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 23, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable Substitute
- Mar 9, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 03/13
- Mar 2, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Government Administration and Elections
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transition to Risk-Limiting Audits
The state is shifting its post-election verification framework from standard percentage sample audits to formal risk-limiting audits with mandatory University of Connecticut analysis starting in 2027.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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