Radiofree West Hartford - Amendments to the Constitution of Connecticut, 1818

ARTICLE XX.

Judges of the courts of common pleas, and of the district courts, shall be appointed for terms of four years. Judges of the city courts and police courts shall be appointed for terms of two years.

ARTICLE XXI.

Judges of probate shall be elected by the electors residing in their respective districts, on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1876, and biennially thereafter. Those persons elected judges of probate on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1876, and those elected biennially thereafte, shall hold their offices for two years from and after the Wednesday after the first Monday of the next succeeding January. Those persons elected judges of probate on the first Monday of April, 1876, shall hold their offices only until the Wednesday after the first Monday of January 1877.

ARTICLE XXII.

The compensation of members of the general assembly shall not exceed three hundred dollars per annum, and one mileage each way for each session, at the rate of twenty-five cents per mile.

ARTICLE XXIII.

That article eight of the Amendments to the Constitution be amended by erasing the word "white" from the first line.

ARTICLE XXIV.

Neither the general assembly nor any county, city, borough, town, or school district, shall have power to pay or grant any extra compensation to any public officer, employee, agent or, servant, or increase the compensation of any public officer or employee, to take effect during the continuance in office of any person whose salary might be increased thereby, or increase the pay or compensation of any public contractor above the amount specified in the contract.

ARTICLE XXV.

No county, city, town, borough, or other municipality, shall ever subscribe to the capital stock of any railroad corporation, or become a purchaser of the bonds, or make donation to, or loan its credit, directly or indirectly, in aid of any such corporation; but nothing herein contained shall affect the validity of any bonds or debts incurred under existing laws, nor be construed to prohibit the general assembly from authorizing any town or city to protect by additional appropriations of money or credit, any railroad debt contracted prior to the adoption of this amendment.

ARTICLE XXVI.

The judges of the supreme court of errors and of the superior court shall, upon nomination of the governor, be appointed by the general assembly in such manner as shall by law be prescribed.

ARTICLE XXVII.

Sec. 1. A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary, treasurer, comptroller, and members of the general assembly shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and biennially thereafter, for such officers as are herein and may be hereafter prescribed.
Sec. 2. The state officers above named and members of the general assembly elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and those elected biennially thereafter on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the next succeeding January until the Wednesday after the first Monday of the third succeeding January, and until their successors are duly qualified.
Sec. 3. The compensation of members of the General Assembly shall not exceed three hundred dollars for the term for which they are elected, and one mileage each way for the regular session at the rate of twenty-five cents per mile; they shall also receive one mileage at the same rate for attending any extra session called by the governor.
Sec. 4. The regular sessions of the general assembly shall commence on the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding the election of its members.
Sec. 5. The senators elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1885, shall hold their offices only until the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1887.

ARTICLE XXVIII.

Sheriffs shall be elected in the several counties, on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and quadrennially thereafter, for the term of four years, commencing on the first day of June following their election.

ARTICLE XXIX.

Every person shall be able to read in the English language any article of the constitution or any section of the statutes of this state before being admitted an elector.

ARTICLE XXX.

In the election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary, treasurer, comptroller, and attorney-general, the person found by the general assembly, in the manner provided in the fourth article of the constitution of this state, to have received the greatest number of votes for each of said offices respectively, shall be declared by said assembly to be elected. But if two or more persons shall be found to have an equal and the greatest number of votes for any of said offices, then the general assembly, on the second day of its session, by joint ballot of both houses, shall proceed without debate to choose said officer from a list of the names of the persons found to have an equal and greatest number of votes for said office.

ARTICLE XXXI.

Sec. 1. From and after the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1905, the senate shall be composed of not less than twenty-four and not more than thirty-six members, who shall be elected at the electors' meetings held biennially on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Sec. 2. The general assembly which shall be held on the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1903, shall divide the state into senatorial districts, as hereinafter provided; the number of such districts shall not be less than twenty-four nor more than thirty-six, and each district shall elect only one senator. The districts shall always be composed of contiguous territory, and in forming them regard shall be had to population in the several districts, that the same may be as nearly equal as possible under the limitations of this amendment. Neither the whole or a part of one county shall be joined to the whole or a part of another county to form a district, and no town shall be divided, unless for the purpose of forming more than one district wholly within such town and each county shall have at least one senator. The districts, when established as hereinafter provided, shall continue the same until the session of the general assembly next after the completion of the next census of the United States, which general assembly shall have power to alter the same, if found necessary to preserve a proper equality of population in each district, but only in accordance with the principles above recited; after which said districts shall not be altered, nor the number of senators altered, except at a session of the general assembly next after the completion of a census of the United States, and then only in accordance with the principles hereinbefore provided.

ARTICLE XXXII.

Each town shall, annually, or biennially, as the electors of the town may determine, elect selectmen and such officers of local police as the laws may prescribe.

ARTICLE XXXIII.

Voting machines or other mechanical devices for voting may be used in all elections in this state, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law; provided, however, that the right of secret voting shall be preserved.

ARTICLE XXXIV.

In case of the death, resignation, refusal to serve, inability to perform the powers and duties of his office, or removal from office of the governor, or of his impeachment or absence from the state, the lieutenant-governor shall exercise the powers and authority appertaining to the office of governor, until another be chosen at the next periodical election for governor, and be duly qualified; or until the disability be removed, or until the governor, impeached or absent, shall be acquitted or return.

ARTICLE XXXV.

The general assembly shall adjourn sine die not later than the first Wednesday after the first Monday in June following its organization.

ARTICLE XXXVI.

That portion of section three of article twenty-seven of the amendments to the constitution which relates to mileage of members of the general assembly is hereby amended to read as follows: and in addition to such compensation, the general assembly may provide by law for the transportation of each member by public conveyance by the most convenient route between his home station and the place of meeting during the session or sessions of the general assembly to which he was elected.

ARTICLE XXXVII.

The governor shall have power to disapprove of any item or items of any bill making appropriations of money embracing distinct items, while at the same time approving the remainder of the bill, and the part or parts of the bill so approved shall become effective and the item or items of appropriation so disapproved shall not take effect unless the same are separately reconsidered and repassed in accordance with the rules and limitations prescribed for the passage of bills over the executive veto. In all cases in which the governor shall exercise the right of disapproval hereby conferred he shall append to the bill at the time of signing it a statement of the item or items disapproved, together with his reasons for such disapproval, and transmit the bill and such appended statement to the secretary. If the general assembly be then in session he shall forthwith cause a copy of such statement to be delivered to the house in which the bill originated for reconsideration of the disapproved items in conformity with rules prescribed for legislative action in respect to bills which have received executive disapproval.

ARTICLE XXXVIII.

Section five of Article VI is amended to read as follows: The selectmen and town clerks or an assistant town clerk of the several towns, shall decide on the qualifications of electors, at such times and in such manner as prescribed by law.

ARTICLE XXXIX.

The general assembly shall have power to provide by law for voting by qualified voters of the state who are absent from the city or town of which they are inhabitants at the time of an election or because of sickness or physical disability are unable to appear at the polling places on the day of election, in the choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question to be voted on at such election.