What a crazy night into the morning and it ain’t over yet. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has declared Dan Malloy the winner.
Unofficially Malloy received 19,148 votes in Bridgeport to Foley’s 6502 after election officials this morning completed hand counts of substitute paper ballots after the registrar’s office failed to print enough ballots. The turnout was near 40 percent. The Barack factor worked.
Could this be Connecticut’s version of the 2000 Presidential election? Then it was hanging chads in Florida, this year substitute ballots in Bridgeport. This thing will probably be decided in court.
From Dan Malloy:
MALLOY CONFIDENT IN VICTORY, SAYS RECOUNT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY
Democratic nominee for Governor Dan Malloy today released the following statement:
“After a long night I am confident that when the Secretary of the State certifies the results of the election Nancy Wyman and I will be declared the winners, and that a recount will not be necessary. Our count shows us with a lead of more than 11,000 votes (approximately 1%), which will likely increase because the precincts that have yet to officially report –- in Bridgeport, New Haven, and a few other towns — are ones in which Democrats have traditionally outpolled Republicans. I want the people of Connecticut to know that I am committed to working on a smooth, orderly transition with Gov. Rell -– and that we will announce a transition team that will lead that effort in short order.”
It’s Malloy by 3500 once Bridgeport is added to the totals. God help the State of Connecticut.
*** Wonderful, more tax money to be spent on this mid-term election! Just do it the old-fashioned way, rock, fist, scissors or paper. *** FORGETABOUTIT ***
Up On Bridgeport // Nov 3, 2010 at 1:47 pm
The GOP will challenge this election to enable them to get a second bite of the apple.
General Election Law language contains a phrase that basically says that: “… but for the actions of” the Registrars of Voters [in this case], the voters in the 12[?] polling precincts were disenfranchised to cast their votes.
The “but for” phrase is not contained primary election language and it was for the lack of the “but for” clause
that enabled Judge John Blawie to rule against Caruso in primary of 2007 that was later upheld by the State Supreme Court.
Judges are very hesitant to get involved in elections. Judge George Thim in 2001 ordered a new election at the Roosevelt School precinct after a lever machine had not been properly tested and resulted in two positions posting zero votes for (D) Auden Grogins and (R) Thomas Freer.
Grogins initiated the action with compelling scientific evidence by a statistical expert that claimed that you would have a better chance of a 1200-lb. man walking into the room than this happening on a voting machine. I guess that would be considered “Fat Chance” testimony.
The Republicans will go to court seeking another election with the hope of creating a lower turnout at those 12 polling stations, thus cutting into the Brigeport Malloy numbers and turning around the Malloy present plurality of 3100 statewide.
The Dems in Bridgeport did a Herculean pulling job in this election but could end up getting a hand job from the Republicans.