Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said her office has referred multiple complaints related to the Bridgeport mayoral election re-do to the State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC), including one that claims a voter was offered cash in exchange for a completed absentee ballot.
According to a press release from Thomas’s office, 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
- Suspicious activity at drop boxes was discovered during a review of footage from surveillance cameras
“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 in the release. “Referrals are not proof of wrongdoing, but an important step to ensure our elections are secure.”
State GOP leaders called the reports a “devastating reminder that our state offers bad actors the capacity to manipulate the outcome of our elections without fear.”
“Ensuring that residents have confidence in the integrity of our elections is a core responsibility of what we do, and if Democrats aren't willing to lead on this issue right now by installing a mandatory penalty for criminal election violations, they simply aren't listening to Connecticut residents who are demanding—and certainly deserve—this level of reform,” Sen. Republican Leader Stephen Harding and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said in a statement.
Thomas is scheduled to testify on two bills that she said are intended to close loopholes in the election process during Monday’s public hearing in the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
The bills are HB 5498, which would require surveillance of absentee ballot drop boxes, and SB 441, which would create a board to oversee election issues that are not in the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the State’s Office or the SEEC.
“My office’s efforts did not end on February 27, the final Election Day in Bridgeport,” Thomas said. “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.”
