New Haven Democratic voters have started casting their absentee ballots ahead of the Sept. 12 primary: incumbent Justin Elicker or Liam Brennan, the first Inspector General in Hartford.
One mayoral candidate is still hoping to get on the ballot.
Candidates are required to collect signatures from 5% of the city’s registered Democrats to get to the primary. In New Haven, that means 1,623.
Shafiq Abdussabur is trying to convince a judge that at least 220 of his signatures are valid — that would put him over the threshold.
Nearly half of the 2,700 signatures he collected were disqualified by the Registrar of Voters for being illegible or belonging to non-registered voters.
The former New Haven police sergeant and alder was told by election officials that it was too late to petition a court that he could reach the threshold.
He said he still has a chance.
“The confidential sources that I spoke with, at the state level, have made it very clear that those ballots can be reprinted,” Abdussabur said.
He also said he questions the current electoral system that almost always ensures the Democratic candidate will be elected mayor.
He said the people of New Haven should have the ultimate say.
“Regardless of what the party might want, the 60 co-chairs, along with the other 25 ward committee members, regardless of what the DTC might want, regardless of what some of the New Haven delegation folks that want to rally around want," Abdussabur said.
"The reality is, there's roughly 52,000 registered voters in the city of New Haven, and democracy must be about them,” he continued, “I think that sometimes we just get complacent, we get comfortable, and we just fall into tradition.”
Abdussabur said he has a few more court proceedings before the judge will make a decision.
“I am only more emboldened, more enthusiastic and more determined to be able to share my ideas and my views and my vision about how we make this process in New Haven the model for democratic inclusivity for all residents.”
