Uncertified registrar of voters says she plans to take state exam

DANBURY — Republican Registrar of Voters Mary Ann Doran said she will take the state certification exam as soon as possible.

Doran was one of three area registrars found not to be in compliance with a 2016 state law that gave municipal registrars of voters two years to complete 25 hours of training and pass a 50-question certification exam.

“The scheduling has just never worked out,” Doran said Monday. “One month the test was right before Christmas, the next time it snowed.”

The Secretary of the State’s Office schedules the certification exam monthly. The exam is generally given the last Friday of each month at the State Office Building in Hartford, although the test also is occasionally given at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill’s office said that of the state’s 340 registrars, 109 have not completed their certification. Of that number, 70 are still within their two-year grace period. Doran is one of 39 registrars who have been on the job more than two years without taking the certification exam.

“I haven’t taken the exam, but I took all the classes and passed all the quizzes,” she said.

The quizzes and exam are open book, and focus on general job responsibilities. Sample review questions in the course material include “How long must you retain materials from federal elections?” “Who creates a registrar of voters’ budget?” and “What are some of the registrar of voters’ responsibilities concerning redistricting?”

Training classes center on topics like election law, maintaining voter lists, absentee voting, petitions and post-election audits. In addition, registrars also must maintain their certification by taking 8 hours of continuing education each year, which can be done by taking state-approved classes or attending conferences and seminars.