Each group of candidates whose names appear in one single row on the official ballot in a voting district for a primary to be held by a political party may designate, for each line of electors voting in such primary at such voting district, not more than two electors enrolled in such party in the town in which such voting district is located, to serve as candidate checkers on behalf of the candidates whose names appear in such row, provided a registrar may establish two or more shifts for candidate checkers, in which case each such group of candidates may designate the candidate checkers for each shift. No primary official shall perform the functions of a candidate checker pursuant to this section. The candidates shall submit a list of the names of such designees to the registrar of voters for such party not later than forty-eight hours before the primary. The registrar shall notify the candidates of this obligation. Such registrar of voters shall verify that each such designee is enrolled in such party in such town and shall appoint in each voting district not more than two such designees, for each line, to serve each such row for each shift. The registrar shall, at the request of such a group of candidates, change such designations at any time before the closing of the polls on the day of a primary. No candidate for nomination in such primary may be a candidate checker at such primary. The registrar of voters shall furnish each candidate checker one copy of the list or lists of electors eligible to vote in such primary. Candidate checkers may remain within the polling place for the purpose of checking their own copy of such list to indicate the names of electors who have voted. Such checkers may enter and leave the restricted area surrounding the polling place during the hours of voting for the purpose of taking such information outside said area. If any such candidate checker interferes with the orderly process of voting or attempts to influence any elector, he shall be evicted by the moderator. A candidate checker appointed pursuant to this section may receive compensation from the municipality in which the primary is held.
(1967, P.A. 513, S. 1; P.A. 83-391, S. 20, 24; P.A. 84-319, S. 48, 49; P.A. 87-509, S. 16, 24; P.A. 93-384, S. 5, 28.)
History: P.A. 83-391 amended section to prohibit primary officials from performing functions of candidate checkers and to permit municipalities to compensate candidate checkers; P.A. 84-319 added requirement that registrar notify candidates of obligation to designate candidate checkers; P.A. 87-509 substituted “candidates” for “electors” and added “each line of electors voting in such primary at” in first sentence and changed references to enrollment lists to lists of electors eligible to vote in primary; P.A. 93-384 authorized registrar to establish two or more shifts for candidate checkers and to require registrar, at request of a group of candidates, to change designations of checkers, effective June 29, 1993.