The September 12 Democratic primary weeks away, the Town Clerk’s Office has already processed about 2,000 requests for absentee ballots, a number that will likely more than double by the day of the vote.
The campaign camps of Mayor Joe Ganim and primary challenger John Gomes are working the early vote.
Connecticut law has made this process easier as a spin-off from the Covid health emergency. An elector may simply fear the threat of illness to vote by absentee. Connecticut’s only early form of voting is by absentee, an archaic system versus most U.S. states.
That will change next year based on a state constitutional change by voters and legislative enactment.
Next year’s presidential cycle will launch institutionalized early voting: 10 days prior to primaries and two weeks before general elections.
For this mayoral-driven primary, the vast majority of the absentee ballot requests are being generated by the campaigns’ respective political operatives knocking doors and visiting senior housing complexes.
The 19,000 absentee ballot applications mailed to Democratic households by the political arm Bridgeport Generation Now Votes that endorsed failed primary challenger State Senator Marilyn Moore have had only a trickle effect so far, according to requests received by the Town Clerk’s Office. The office tracks requests by numbers assigned to individuals signing out ballot applications.
Moore failing to qualify for the primary, falling well short of the petition signatures required, was a major blow to Gen Now that expended tens of thousands of dollars mailing out applications in anticipation of Moore making the ballot.
In 2019, absentee ballots played a pivotal role in Ganim’s defeat of Moore who won the walk-in vote. Ganim captured the absentee vote by nearly three to one.
The modern era of city politics has placed a high emphasis on absentee voting. Based on the absentee activity, measured against primary voting trends, one third of the September 12 vote could exact that way.
The Ganim campaign operation had a head start securing early voters, but the Gomes camp has made up some ground following his primary qualification.
When Gen Q’s come knocking, nobody’s Home!
Is Lydia Martinez sitting this election out ?
By virtue of her job, she’s the keeper-of-the-key to the vault — she’s involved with all elections every year.
Local,
I must disagree with you. “By virtue of her job” she has little to do with elections, as the TOWN CLERK, not the CITY CLERK, is primarily tasked with the handling of “absentee ballots”. And the Registrar of Voters office likely has responsibility for the rest of City records that become important at election time.
The City Clerk may have a ‘vault’ or safe to which she likely has keys or a combination but you will likely find more about City Charter, municipal ordinances, City Council records, meetings, committees, etc. within than any thing of special interest to a political activist at election time. Have you taken a look in the “vault?”
You probably know these facts or can certainly see them on the Bridgeport web site. Her interest in elections every year preceded her employment and likely will sustain her when she leaves the office. Public readers need to rely on accuracy of commentary from long term writers on OIB when City office holders rarely share the info of CIVICS 101. But if it is OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST there likely is no harm and no foul. Time will tell.