by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie
New allegations of election improprieties have been referred to the State Elections Enforcement Commission related to the redo of the Bridgeport mayoral election a few weeks ago, further tarnishing an election marred by ballot stuffing and other electoral misconduct.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas announced the new set of referrals Friday afternoon.
“When alerted, the Secretary of the State’s Office is required to send allegations of election malfeasance to SEEC for their review and decision to investigate if any laws were broken,” Thomas said. “Referrals are not proof of wrongdoing, but an important step to ensure that our elections are secure.”
The allegations are related to the court-ordered re-vote of the Bridgeport mayoral election that took place in February following revelations of absentee ballot stuffing that was caught on video during the Democratic primary election held last November. The referrals include:
• Reports from voters who received absentee ballots despite not requesting them;
• A voter reported an individual arrived at his home to help him with his ballot, had him sign unknown paperwork, and took his ballot;
• A report of a campaign offering cash in return for completed absentee ballots, and;
• Suspicious activity at drop boxes discovered during review of footage from surveillance cameras.
The latest allegations come as the Connecticut General Assembly considers several bills aimed at making elections in Connecticut more secure, and to deter bad actors from interfering in elections. One bill supported by the Thomas and her office would put greater restrictions on absentee ballots and require surveillance of drop boxes, while another would create a board that would be tasked with mitigating election administration issues which fall between the authorities of the Office of the Secretary of the State and the SEEC.
A third bill would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of a year on many felonies related to voting fraud and election tampering.
“My office’s efforts did not end on February 27, the final Election Day in Bridgeport,” Thomas said in a statement. “We continue our advocacy for election security and know that the legislature is equally committed to passing legislation that protects the integrity of Connecticut’s electoral process.”
In September 2003, video footage was released that allegedly showed Wanda Geter-Pataky, vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee, visiting an absentee ballot box multiple times in the pre-dawn hours. Under Connecticut law, absentee ballots must be returned by the voter or a designated family member, police, local elected official, or caregiver. The SEEC’s initial investigation led to both the Democratic primary and the general election being redone in January and February, respectively.
In the primary, Democratic candidate John Gomes accused the campaign of incumbent mayor Joe Ganim of committing fraud to win the primary election. Ganim won the latest re-vote by a large margin.