Lydia Martinez And Absentee Ballots: ‘People Expect Certain Things From Certain People’

When word a few days ago reached admitted absentee ballot cheat Lydia Martinez that the East Side Democratic Town Committee district the city councilwoman controls was officially facing a March 6 primary, she wasted little time doing what she dubiously does best in the city. She walked through the door of the Town Clerk’s Office and signed out 100 absentee ballot applications to spread among “my peoples.”

Now you’d think sanity and common sense would prevail upon a pol who had recently consented to a $500 fine for absentee ballot fraud, but when it comes to the queen of absentee ballots appearances must be maintained. Lydia Martinez is no dummy. She’s a shrewd pol. Her advocates say she’s caring and decent and pays attention to her constituents. Lydia knows her place in city politics. Numerous city pols chuckle that Lydia now seems to feed off her reputation even if it costs her $500 here or there. As one official noted, “People expect certain things from certain people.” Ah, nothing like a political reputation. It’s likely more electors in the city’s 137th District will vote via absentee ballot than actually make it to the polls on March 6. It’s truly amazing how so many of Lydia’s Democratic constituents manage to vote by absentee ballots in primaries that matter versus general elections that don’t.

For background on Lydia’s fine and the written decision by the State Elections Enforcement Commission see here.

State law provides:

No (1) candidate or (2) agent of a candidate, political party or committee, as defined in section 9-601, shall knowingly be present when an absentee ballot applicant executes an absentee ballot, except (A) when the candidate or agent is (i) a member of the immediate family of the applicant or (ii) authorized by law to be present or (B) when the absentee ballot is executed in the office of the municipal clerk and the municipal clerk or an employee of the municipal clerk is a candidate or agent.

State law is also clear that a candidate, or agent of a candidate, or a conduit of the agent cannot conspire to entice an elector to vote by absentee ballot if they are perfectly fit or available to vote at the polls. Maybe this is a good reason for Connecticut to provide early voting. Absentee ballot influence is not an easy thing to prove. So often it requires corroboration of an eye witness, or the statement of an unsophisticated voter, that they received help or were offered something of value to vote a certain way.

It’s legit to inform voters they can vote via absentee if they cannot reasonably make it to the polls. It’s legit to pitch someone who’s voted by absentee in the past, and may do so again, about why they should choose this candidate over that one.

Lydia has a tough primary fight from a slate of seasoned East Side pols, some of whom she booted from the town committee district such as Tito Ayala and Gil Hernandez. The scorched-earth nature of Bridgeport politics is certainly not badminton, although the aerodynamics of political relationships can be as unpredictable as a shuttlecock.

And shuttle is an optimum word in Lydia’s absentee operation. Sometimes it involves constituent ferry trips to Port Jefferson or a bus ride to a casino and at the end of the good time had by all absentee ballot applications magically appear for folks to fill out, returned to the Town Clerk’s Office for the mailing of the actual absentee ballot.

And just think what citywide electors can look forward to as Lydia makes plans to run for Democratic registrar of voters.

Class trip, anyone?

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24 comments

  1. Can we make it a $5,000 fine and stop this silliness?
    Even now there is a current investigation going on, and yet the State Election Enforcement Commission continues to turn a blind eye … Perhaps Lydia has friends in high places and perhaps Denise Merrill doesn’t give a damn either.
    What’s the answer? Citizens can request their legislator to submit a bill calling for a $5,000 fine. And legislators will do it the majority of the time and call it courtesy legislation.
    Want to know more? Call me.

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    1. Nobody has ever investigated to see if the fines levied on La Diabla were actually paid, and if so, by whom.

      I think this whole Lydia Martinez thing is despicable. The unbelievably stupid people of Bridgeport turn a deaf ear to this corruption and allow the city to plummet into the mire of municipal decay. Pretty soon it will be too late to recover.

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  2. Where is the SOS on this one? Once again she is defying the ethics and legalities here. And why isn’t there a limit on the number of AB apps one can have at any one time? The city clerk needs to create some parameters here.

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  3. Listen everyone–the thought of this woman getting attention for running is a joke. The fact she has been under investigation numerous times for fraudulent activites including voter registration is an absolute disgrace. To have this woman in any position of authority is a slap in the face of the the people of Bridgeport or better yet it’s like having a weasel in a hen house or better yet, having a pedophile in charge of a playground. It’s an absolute violation of any type of morality the city of Bpt may have left. While we’re on the subject of morality, let’s give Willie Murphy, this noncontributing zero, a conservation program to make it fail. So much for the carbon footprint because Murph is only good at making sexual innuendos and having Larry Osborne sweep it it under the carpet. Wake up people–it’s time to save our city. Semper Fi to the People of Bridgeport.

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    1. You’re not fooling me, either. nmcb1 lacks credibility with the OIB blogoshere. Once again, never trust a blogger who fails to capitalize their own handle. It indicates political cowardice and upsets me on Monday mornings.

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        1. Anyone who posts on OIB has credibility in their own right. We have all had the gift of unique perception bestowed upon us–imagine that! I would hope the current administration has enough brain cells left to plant a blogger who is a little more restrained than LE. So on behalf of Zena Lu ONLY I say your perspective is appreciated nmcb1, and BLOG ON!!!

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          1. Local Eyes, change the aluminum foil in your helmet; also change the foil you have covering your windows.

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          2. There are many bloggers on this page who would disagree with that remark; but suit yourself, you have a right to your perspective.

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  4. Lydia Martinez is no different than all of the elected officials in Bridgeport, the only difference is she was dumb enough to get caught.
    In a recent primary here in the 138th the incumbents lowered themselves to get absentees from patients at the old Dinan Center, first time since Mandanici that has been done.
    We the citizens of Bridgeport as a whole get the politicians we now have because the majority of registered voters don’t give a shit and are too lazy to take 15 minutes out of their lives to vote.

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  5. Trip to Mohegan Sun, February 8. Guess who is going!!! East Side Senior Center. Do you think Lydia and her slate will be on that bus? Did she send a flyer to the Harborview residents, announcing the event and charging only $5.00 dollars? Her 100 AB applications will be distributed among her slate and to those she promises city council seats. Anderson Ayala is working with her slate because he has been promised his father’s council seat. He is working it hard.
    So if anyone takes pictures of Miss Lydia boarding the bus, please send them to Hartford.

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    1. If the seniors can go to the casino, then they can go to the polls to vote. Why is Martha taking seniors to the casino anyway? We pay her inflated salary to run casino trips, nice use of my tax dollars. Where does the $5 go, Martha’s pocket?

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  6. I started on the chitlins circuit where I lost my innards … Then I graduated to ZombieLand, where I lost my blood … Now I’m on OIB where I have no friends and plenty of enemies. Inmates think I’ve lost my mind but lurkers know where to find it–right here on OIB.

    (wink)

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  7. A person who habitually thumbs her nose at the elections laws should be banned from seeking any public office. Didn’t this happen to Warren Blunt back in the 1990s?

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  8. Pictures and documentation are the next step for this place. Lennie, did someone have a camera with shooting capability and linkie to document it? My phone dates back to 2008, but if you said someone saw it, have them take pictures and post here.
    What, can’t we keep up with radar online?

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