Absentee Ballot Landslide Hits City–About 700 Out And Counting …

Newton, Gomes, Ayala
Could you blame Ed Gomes if he asked: "Hey boys, can you spare a few absentee ballots?"

Workers in the Town Clerk’s Office are in overdrive mailing absentee ballots, most of them associated with the Aug. 14 State Senate primary between Democrats Andres Ayala, Ernie Newton and incumbent Ed Gomes. The number of ballots going out will no doubt eclipse 1000 before primary day. The bigger question is how many will be returned by voters.

Most of the mailed absentee ballots are associated with Ayala and Newton whose operatives have filed applications with the Town Clerk. This could be problematic for Gomes’ campaign if it enters primary day hundreds of votes behind. It places a burden on running up machine totals. Campaign operatives for the three camps agree the primary day turnout will be hard pressed to hit 20 percent. That figure represents a voter performance of about 6000 votes, which means 2000 votes could win it.

Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced today, “to receive an absentee ballot, registered Connecticut voters can fill out a simple application at their town clerk’s office or download the application on their town’s website. Applications for absentee ballots are also available on the Secretary of the State’s website www.sots.ct.gov. Once an application is completed and turned in, the ballot will be sent to the voter in the mail within days. Absentee ballots can be returned by mail or in-person to town offices up until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 14, 2012 and still be counted in the statewide primary.”

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5 comments

  1. Here we go again, another election is going to be stolen by the use of absentee ballots. I cannot believe there are 1000 people who cannot get to the polls or who are on vacation. It’s time for the state to send a team into Bridgeport and check all the absentee ballots. I guarantee someone will go to jail if this is done.

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  2. ***SEEC’s all bark with little bite unless info copies of the violations are sent to the media first, then SEEC. At that point they have no choice but to do their jobs, no? ***

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  3. The problem was SuBy and now Denise Merrill. Widespread irregularities have led to Lydia Martinez being sanctioned more than once yet absolutely nothing is being done. Shame.

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  4. All they have to do is follow the paper trail. It will lead to those who abuse the AB system. The controls that are in place with SOS and SEEC are weak, generalized, and as anyone in Bridgeport politics knows, easily manipulated.

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