Due to a high volume of absentee ballot requests, elections officials will conduct supervised balloting at several senior citizen housing locations for the February 24 special election for State Senate. The East Side highrise Harborview Towers with more than 200 units, managed by the Bridgeport Housing Authority, is the domain of City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez, the city’s queen of absentee ballots, who’s supporting her council peer Ricky DeJesus.
The other day the Town Clerk’s Office received a dump of 800 absentee ballot applications. As a result Democratic Registrar Sandi Ayala ordered supervised balloting for Harborview Towers and several other locations some of which have taken place.
Harborview 376 East Washington Ave. Friday 2/13/15 at 10:00 a.m.
Astoria 725 Park Ave. Friday 2/6/15 at 1:00 p.m.
600 Bond St. Thursday 2/5/15 at 10:00 a.m.
540 Bond Tuesday 2/10/15 at 10:00 a.m.
Eleanor 695 Park Ave. Thursday 2/12/15 at 10:00 a.m.
Hall Commons 55 George Pipkin Way Tuesday 2/17/15 at 9:30 a.m.
Barnum House 140 Fairfield Ave. Thursday 2/19/15 at 1:30 p.m.
Renaissance Plaza 210 Washington Ave. Friday 2/20/15 at 10:00 a.m.
State law provides local registrars with the authority to conduct supervised balloting when 20 absentee ballot applications come from a particular address. It helps to provide a check against campaign operatives trying to manipulate votes by absentee. It also provides an option for electors who filled out an absentee ballot application to vote at their desired designated precinct.
Any voter in the building that signed an absentee application and wants to vote by absentee ballot can do so that day under the supervision of elections officials.
Connecticut is one of a handful of states with excuse-only absentee ballot voting. Away for work? You vote by absentee ballot. Health issues? You vote by absentee ballot. There’s no early voting in Connecticut. A question on last November’s ballot asking voters to approve early voting was rejected.
Today (Friday) is also the application deadline for campaigns seeking to qualify for Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program of publicly funded races. The State Elections Enforcement Commission will meet next Wednesday to approve applications.
In addition to DeJesus, Republican Quentin Dreher, Working Families Party Ed Gomes, and petitioning candidates Charles Hare and Ken Moales appear on the ballot.
There is also a special election for State House on February 24 between Democrat Steve Stafstrom, Republican Enrique Torres and petitioning candidates Bob Keeley, Bob Halstead and Hector Diaz.
Just astonishing what these people will do with a straight face. I hope the US Attorney’s office is already on this. De facto fraud.
If past is prologue, I expect little from the Secretary of the State’s office.
Lydia Martinez needs an ankle bracelet that beeps at the SEEC office every time she gets near a senior citizen residence.
Bridgeport City Hall needs a regime change.
Am I wrong though, this appears to be a little bit of an improvement/progress? I.e., supervised balloting.