About a year ago, the city became something of a national media flashpoint when police video surveillance captured several political operatives placing absentee ballots into designated drop boxes for the September mayoral primary.
Connecticut law generally limits the handling of absentee ballots to immediate family members, health caretakers and police officers.
Dozens of citizen complaints against operatives for Mayor Joe Ganim and Democratic opponent John Gomes were filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission that has civil authority over elections, but no criminal oversight. No one, so far, has been charged in connection with those events following SEEC referring some of those complaints to state criminal investigators for review.
Meanwhile, according to several sources, federal law enforcement is undertaking an investigation that appears focused on absentee ballot irregularities involving local races. Too soon to know if this is going anywhere but FBI agents are knocking on doors asking questions about absentee ballot protocol and the players involved.
The last city politician charged federally with alleged absentee ballot fraud, former City Councilman Michael DeFilippo, saw his prison exposure dropped dramatically when U.S. District Court Victor Bolden threw out the government’s most serious charge in connection with his 2017 legislative run involving Sacred Heart University students who were housing tenants nearby the main campus.
As a result he entered a guilty plea in May to a reduced misdemeanor charge and awaits sentencing.
Clearly FBI doesn’t stand For Bridgeport’s Integrity.
“Clearly FBI doesn’t stand For Bridgeport’s Integrity.”
But, on the other hand; maybe it does….
Or possibly, since you are suggesting alternative explanations for the acronym of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), could Fair Bridgeport Initiative substitute for many of the problems and issues in the news today? Or FAR BRIDGE INSTALLATION, even? (Timely reference to Congress Street Bridge?)
Election process is in question on the national front, but locally the absentee ballot mishandling over the years, with a five year backlog at least, of SEEC cases indicating pushback from citizens who actually know the rules. How about a more timely investigation and ruling?
What does the low % of registered voters actually voting indicate? Lack of door knocking? Insufficient funding of elections? A disabled electorate, who lack timely, quality information from caring candidates? Where is Civics convincingly taught locally? Is it only to immigrants seeking citizenship? Why doesn’t each party hold monthly meetings, at different locations in the city to exercise leadership in remedial continuing education on the subject?
Fair Bridgeport Initiative would be OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT, and HONEST in its oversight of current issues in the City like the inactivity at the top of broader real estate and housing matters for the future. Where does the Mayor indicate that he cares? Time will tell.
When the Mayor wins by 1500 absentee ballots, but loses on every machine count or when the co-chairwoman of the Democratic Party gets caught on video stuffing absentee ballots in a drop box!
It’s not irregularities, it happens every flucking election , it’s time to put these people in jail!