Absentee Ballots By The Numbers, Primary Versus General Election

Has all the hullabaloo about absentee ballots in the primary given campaign operatives pause and tamped down the general election numbers? Depends how the numbers are interpreted.

On one hand you could argue there’s not nearly as many absentee ballot application requests in the general election as there were for the primary, but on the other hand you could argue it’s quality over quantity because more electors have voted by absentee in the general election than at the same point during the primary more than two weeks from the vote, albeit with a higher universe of voters.

At the same point during the primary about 1,400 absentee ballots were mailed to electors with fewer than 300 returned to the Town Clerk’s Office. As of the latest report released by the Town Clerk’s Office about 900 ballots have been mailed to electors with about one third already returned.

In the Democratic primary for mayor State Senator Marilyn Moore won at the polls by 384 votes citywide while incumbent Joe Ganim emerged as the certified winner by virtue of winning the absentee ballot count 963 to 313.

About 20,000 city voters are not registered with a party, but the absentee ballot reports shows just a smattering of unaffiliated as well as Republicans voting by mail-in ballots.

The final two weeks leading to election day is when a majority of the absentee ballots are received by the Town Clerk.

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39 comments

  1. I was speaking to two of my voters who had switched to Republicans prior to the September 10th Primary. Both voters have chronic illnesses.

    Although neither could vote in the Democratic Primary I made sure they received ballots for the Republucan Primary.

    I watched the AB Report and neither had submitted their AB for the Republucan Primary.

    Today I visited these voters and discovered one had a broken leg and the other leg had a sprained ankle after taking a terrible tumble.

    They shared Bridgeport Generation Votes Now paid staff and another man knocked on their door. The voter with the broken leg could not stand for long and they were asking so many questions that they invited them in.

    The voter told me they asked them a barrage of questions, how they qualified for an absentee ballot, why did the other voter qualify for a ballot and more. This voter said “they forced me to sign a statement.” I asked them what do you mean they “forced” you. They stated that she felt so harassed that she just wanted them to leave so she signed an affidavit.

    They are both Republicans that did NOT even vote by absentee ballot or at the polls.

    WTF does Bridgeport Generation Now/ Votes think they are doing?

    I handed them my Bridgeport Generation Now/ Votes flier exposing the organization. I told them if ANYONE comes to your door from these organizations just tell them to “f_ck off” and slam the door shut.

    A__holes.

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    1. Ernest Newton,,,Please tell all of us here on OIB who wrote that letter. First of all,you’re not capable of writing that letter and Eneida Martinez is even less capable of writing that letter. TELL US WHO WROTE THAT LETTER.

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    1. Ernie, for the sake of argument let’s say that everything about Bridgeport Generation Now TRUE, where has your voice been with those who were found to be guilty of the State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission voting rights? Ernie are 3 DTC members who were/are elected members of Bridgeport’s government, I didn’t hear or read anything from you, plus 2 of those who were found guilty are current elected members of the City’s government, where is the outrage?

      City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez admitted to illegally assisting in the filling out of absentee ballots, as well as encouraging those not eligible to vote absentee to do so. Martinez targeted residents of an assisted living home, Harborview Towers. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $500 fine. This was not the first time she was fined by the Commission: In 2008, she was found liable to pay $664 to the Citizens Election Fund for the excess expenditures her campaign committee made for her failed run for the State House.

      Sybil Allen, while serving as a Democrat on the Bridgeport Town Committee, engaged in a range of absentee ballot-related fraud. Allen completed ballot applications in the name of residents, forged signatures, and on at least one occasion got a voter to forge a ballot registration form for a family member who no longer lived in the community. Allen also told one voter that a candidate was not on the ballot and watched voters fill out their ballots before taking possession of them. Allen eventually agreed to pay a civil fine of $5,000 and was barred from running for re-election for two years.

      Warren Blunt, a city councilman in Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to being present while people cast their absentee ballots and subsequently taking those ballots while running for re-election in the town’s Democratic primary. The State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission fined Blunt $2,500 and required him to resign from the town committee. He was also barred from running for elected office again for two years.

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      1. Ron
        Let’s say everything you are bring up is right. The SEEC fine each and everyone of these individuals. Case close. What Generation Now is doing is going to people’s houses trying to intimidate Our seniors. Ron please do me a favor Brother Warren Blunt has passed on please let him rest in peace.By your response i see you done see the anything wrong with trying to stop our seniors from Voting. Generation Now is not the Police and has no power to do what it attempting to do which is to scare Our senior into not Voting.

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        1. Ernie, no, the case is not close, let focus in on one person, City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez admitted to illegally assisting in the filling out of absentee ballots, as well as encouraging those not eligible to vote absentee to do so. Martinez targeted residents of an assisted living home, Harborview Towers. Lydia Martinez has been elected to the City Clerk, this is the same Lydia Martinez who twice violated voters rights but Ernie you have no problem with she actually did compare to what Bridgeport Generation Now is being accused of doing, excuse me Bridgeport Generation Now are not being charge with anything near what Lydia Martinez did but Ernie you’re saying that what Bridgeport Generation Now is doing is worse than what Lydia Martinez did but not one word from you concerning Lydia Martinez, not now and not before.

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          1. Ron
            Remember The SEEC is looking at both sides and not one word from you and Don on what Generation Now is doing to Our Seniors!

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  2. Oh, I forgot. They called the voter with the broken leg back that Sunday and told her that she was going to be subpoenaed and forced to testify.

    The voter told them I have a broken leg, am in a wheelchair, and have no way of getting there. The BGNV caller told the voter “we have other people testifying in wheelchairs.”

    The compassion shown by BGNV was overwhelming.

    They ended up calling the voter back to tell her they no longer needed her to testify.

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  3. I copy/pasted this from a post by Joe Perkins and it outlines the legal parameters for absentee voting.

    -Are you an active member of the armed forces of the United States?
    -Will you be out of town during all the hours of voting on Election Day?
    -Does illness prevent you from voting in person on Election Day?
    -Do your religious beliefs prevent you from performing secular activities like voting on Election Day?
    -Will you be performing duties as an election official at a polling place other than your own during all the hours of voting on Election Day?
    -Do you have a physical disability that prevents you from voting in person on Election Day

    Certainly,these parameters are fair and I don’t think anyone has any quibbles with them. However,the absentee ballot cancer in Bridgeport starts and ends with all these candidates and political operatives who use,misuse and abuse the absentee ballot process. Give me a break. What is this business of anyone taking out hundreds of ballots and walking around and offering absentees to every registered voter. And then there is evidence of absentee ballots being sent to people who did not even request. Like I said,if there truly was a 100% forensic examination of absentee ballots cast in Bridgeport,I truly believe that a majority of absentee ballots would not follow the legal parameters outlined above. It is beyond belief that absentee ballots are handed out by the hundreds to streetwalkers and bedside bozos. This is where the problem begins and this mess needs to be stopped. What is wrong if Bridgeport Generation Now or any and all civic organizations demand that the law be applied correctly as to how and why absent ballots are requested. There is absolutely no voter suppression here. The only people who are complaining about Bridgeport Generation Now and any other civic organization that would challenge the absentee ballot cancer in Bridgeport are those who are benefiting from the “Dodge City” practice of anything goes about the distribution and processing of absentee ballots.

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    1. Frank
      I would agree with you if that’s all Generation Now was doing. You read Maria’s post Why would Generation Now be having seniors sign a Affidavit. I didn’t know that Generation Now worked for the SEEC or some state agency! I told all of my seniors to call the police dept. if Generation Now comes by their House.

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        1. Derek
          Because its my right to support whoever i choose to support and i owe you no explanation what so ever. you support who you support that’s you business. My district support both candidates.

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          1. Thought you could win without the DTC endorsement, Moses. You did it before. What changed? What did you have to pledge in return for the blessings of Little Joe and the Dark Lord Mario? Inquiring minds want to know.

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      1. Ernie ……the account of the Republican AB’s is all hearsay. Ernie,even your letter is all hearsay. We have been seeing a systematic attack against Generation Now for several weeks. The question is WHY??

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        1. Ernie…..I will be honest with you. I would like EVERY SINGLE PERSON who voted or asked to vote by absentee ballot to provide an affidavit in terms of how they received an absentee ballot, did anyone assist in filling out the ballot etc. We finally need to see 100% of the Absentee Ballot operation in Bridgeport.

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    2. I stand corrected. Maria Pereira informed Me that it is absentee ballot applications are Distributed. I am always appreciative who learning. IMHO,even AB applications should not be distributed by third party. A voter should call Town/City clerk and have an application sent. The request should only be by the voter. The cancer are the third party candidates/operatives who search out AB voters.

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  4. Ernie, for someone who has been in trouble with the SEEC before, it’s amazing what little you know about them.
    It only does it appear that Bridgeport Gen Now is doing the SEEC work, the SEEC insists that they do it. They required signed and sworn affidavits before they will even open a case.
    But you and Maria make it seem as if they are doing something wrong. Just like Trump. Keep on repeating the lie and maybe people will start to believe you.

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    1. Bob,

      I have no idea what you are talking about. I filed five SEEC complaints in 2018. I filed those complaints under oath and did NOT provide a single affidavit. All five complaints were investigated by the SEEC.

      It appears you are the one with similar traits to Trump. Please be accurate and factual when posting on OIB.

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  5. And Lennie please. Just because Bridgeport Gen Now won’t respond to your taunting, can you please show some sense of impartiality.
    Above you give a link to the city’s response and a synopsis of what it says, you totally ignore doing the same for Gen Now lawyers. No synopsis, no link.
    I believe you bias is showing.

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    1. Troll, you have no bias? You conveniently ignore this story from a few days ago where I published the plaintiffs brief. http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/lawyers-parse-a-mistake-in-the-count-of-the-votes-cast/ Published in the current lead article http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/stakeholders-await-a-barry-stressful-decision-judge-to-hear-oral-arguments-in-primary-challenge/ is the defendants post-trial brief submitted Monday morning, the latest filing. Here’s the latest plaintiffs reply brief filing from Friday. http://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=17963347
      In the future if its that important to you feel free to post your own links. You’re very capable of finding it online now that you’re semi-retired.

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  6. Back it up cowboy, Ernie now you’re quoting Maria? This is the same woman that accused you of still using Drugs and now are quoting her? This is the same lady that you called a chronic liar and now you’re quoting her?
    Which is the lie, what she said about you or what she said about Bpt Gen Now? C’mon man your naivety is showing! Or does this just fit your we want Joe bullshit? You wonder why no one takes you seriously bruh, read your posts!

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    1. Don, you notice that can’t say anything about Lydia Martinez who has been elected to the City Clerk, this is the same Lydia Martinez who twice violated voters rights but Ernie you have no problem her, that’s because Ernie can’t speak against Mario Testa and Joe Ganim because they got the benefit from Lydia Martinez illegal action. Don, Ernie has no problem padding Maria on her back.

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    2. Don
      You of all people should know i could careless what you or anyone else thinks about. You and your homies have no heaven or hell to put me in. Don i can only tell you what was told to Councilwoman Martinez and myself. On what Generation Now said to them. Why would generation Now who came there to talk about absentee ballot.not to act like police or the SEEC. Please tell Ron that the SEEC fine everyone he mention in his text. Please example to me if Generation Now Don came to your house and asked you, Why are you voting by Absentee ballot and please sign this paper you would kick their asses out of your house because its none of their business.

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      1. Ernie,,,,,you have no proof whatsoever. Maybe you should get affidavits from your aggrieved constituents. When you have proof,please come back to us then.

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  7. Don
    You and Ron know if Generation Now was supporting Joe Ganim and was pulling shit like this you would be doing the same thing i’m doing GN stop with the intimidations and leave our senior allow!

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    1. Ernie, was Lydia Martinez wrong for her actions and has New Gen have a history like Lydia? Ernie, didn’t Ganim and Mario benefit from those ABs and all those running Citywide?

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  8. Ernie, we would have say to something if it was Mayor Ganim because you sure as wouldn’t say a damn thing if it was Mayor Ganim! Stop me when I’m wrong!

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    1. Don, what’s truly sad is that Ernie and all of Bridgeport’s elected and appointed officials will never say anything negative against Lydia Martinez or any other Democrat who was guilty of violating voters rights but they have no problem in attacking Generation Now who has no record of violating voters right, in fact the list of those who did violate voters rights that goes back to 1993 involve members of the DTC and of are/were elected Democrat officials, not one was from the challenger. That might the reason that there are over 20,000 register Independent voters because they don’t want anything with the DTC.

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  9. Bob,

    I took an oath before a notary that my SEEC was truthful. I have NEVER submitted an affidavit of a third party, and ALL my SEEC complaints have been investigated.

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  10. And I have, based on legal advise, taken a sworn affidavit, from someone who has had their rights violated, notarized and submitted and this way there is no changing their minds or saying they didn’t say that or any other type of taking it back. Much stronger than you saying they said this.
    Just saying.

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