Moore Demands Investigation But Shows No Evidence Of Fraud In Primary Results

She doesn’t specify how, but State Senator Marilyn Moore on Thursday announced she’s contesting the results of Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor in which she won the machine count by roughly 350 votes but lost by absentee ballots to incumbent Joe Ganim.

Moore won machine counts in six districts while Ganim captured four districts.

Ganim won the absentee count, according to unofficial numbers, 962 to 303. The latest unofficial results posted on the website of the Connecticut Secretary of State shows Ganim the unofficial winner, factoring in absentee ballots, 5,304 to 5,034.

Further complicating the matter, Moore does not have a ballot spot in the general election when it was thought she’d be the standard bearer of the Connecticut Working Families Party line, but someone, apparently, in her organization or WFP, fumbled the ball along the way in the signature process. Many names on petition sheets circulated by Moore’s campaign for ballot access in the general election were signed by electors outside of Bridgeport, an automatic disqualification, showing a lack of procedural knowledge.

(More to come on that issue)

Internally, there’s a lot of finger-pointing within the Moore campaign operation about 1. How did we lose this thing when it was there for the taking and 2. Who botched the ballot spot for the general election when clearly she’d still be relevant.

In the news release that follows Moore wants state and federal authorities to conduct an investigation without presenting any evidence of fraud, something she’ll need to show a judge if she files a court complaint.

If Moore had a ballot spot in November, would they have kicked out this release?

The release screams one thing: let’s buy time to show we’re doing something until we figure out what went wrong.

From Moore:

On September 10th, thousands of Bridgeport residents went to the polls and demanded change. A clear majority of voters said no to the old politics, in a clear repudiation of a party machine that has stood in the way of progress for far too long.

This demand, however, was denied to voters. Questionable absentee ballots poured in, denying their voice.

Since the election, hundreds of Bridgeporters have called me and my campaign, demanding answers. They want to know what happened at the polls on Tuesday.

They want to know how absentee ballots again contradicted what a clear majority of voters expressed at the polls. They want to know what they can do, what we can do, to right this wrong.

Bridgeporters, community organizations and the press have been asking the authorities when will they step in and do something about absentee ballot abuse for months to no avail. Their silence has been deafening and is antithetical to American Democracy and the ideals, principles and values of the Democratic Party.

I cannot stand aside and let the voters of Bridgeport be silenced. Today, I stand with
Bridgeporters, my community, to demand that the State and National Democratic Party, Governor Ned Lamont, and state and federal authorities conduct a full investigation of absentee ballots cast in the Primary election. The days of staying silent and therefore complicit in blatant voter fraud in Bridgeport must end now.

I will never stop fighting for Bridgeport.

During this campaign, I have put forward my vision for Bridgeport: a city that is transparent and equitable, values education and our youth. A city where all residents feel safe. A city where residents are confident that our tax dollars are being spent responsibly and that City Hall works for all of us, not just the connected few. A Bridgeport we can all be proud of everyday.

My campaign office is open. We are exploring every possible option to ensure I am on the ballot in November. I am confident we will win this battle and go on to win this election for the people of Bridgeport on November 5th.