As we approach Bridgeport’s primary “do-over,” Connecticut's Secretary of the State has released guidance and security measures for the upcoming special primary election between Democratic incumbent mayor Joe Ganim and his challenger, John Gomes. A judge previously ruled the primary be done over following a slew of fraud allegations centered around video appearing to show absentee ballot fraud.
The date for the new primary is Jan. 23.
“I am making this video today because of the recent court case in Bridgeport about absentee ballot fraud,” said Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas in a video released in English and Spanish explaining the do over and meant to inform voters across the state about the current laws surrounding the use of absentee ballots.
“We are looking at this with a different microscope to ensure anything we can do we are doing because election confidence is the business we are in,” Thomas said in an interview with NBC Connecticut.
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Along with the educational videos, the Secretary of the State's office also outlined other guidance and security measures, including new ballots dedicated to the special primary. Guidance that new ballots put in drop boxes require a stamp labeled “drop-box” to specify their origin, and designated serial numbers for batches of more than 5 absentee ballots requested by a single person.
The office also expects increased training of election officials in the city, oversight on all drop box pick up runs, a review of absentee ballot requests to check for irregular patters, and updated absentee pick up plans on election night to ensure compliance with state laws.
The Secretary of the State hopes the updates will benefit all Connecticut voters, not only those in Bridgeport.
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“A lot of people don’t know the ins and outs of election law, so people do not feel confident they are following the law,” she said.
Southern Connecticut State University political science professor Jonathan Wharton also adds that the security and guidance puts an emphasis on campaign conduct in Bridgeport and beyond.
“Now there is going to be a pattern of making sure local party committees, campaign officials and their volunteers are paying special attention to this,” said Wharton.
He also expects though this campaign cycle in Bridgeport will end, many of the measures taken for the primary, will likely stick around across the state and well into future election cycles.
“It’s a starting point. Clearly more needs to be done,” said Wharton.
We have reached out to both campaigns for their thoughts on the added security measures and guidance from the Secretary of the State.
Joe Ganim's campaign got back to us in a statement saying “We appreciate the efforts of the Secretary of the State to assist in providing oversight and educating voters for the upcoming election on January 23. We are circulating the videos to educate campaign volunteers and members of the public about the appropriate process for absentee ballots to ensure that the thousands of voters in Bridgeport are eligible to cast their ballot for the January 23 Special Election and future elections.”
We have not heard back from John Gomes' campaign.
The Secretary of the State's office is also reminding voters if they see or hear anything that could be misconduct, it should be relayed to the State Election Enforcement Commission by calling 860-256-2940 or by creating a complaint here.
