On First Day A Record 5,000 Absentee Ballot Applications Signed Out For Mayoral Primary Redo

In the Bridgeport tradition of campaign competitiveness, political operatives of Mayor Joe Ganim and opponent John Gomes trooped into the Town Clerk’s Office Friday morning to sign out a record roughly 5,000 absentee ballot applications, in the jump on the early vote that begins Tuesday in advance of the January 23 Democratic primary redo.

With two state-appointed election monitors now in the picture, Connecticut’s most populous city is poised for another contentious battle.

This is the first time officials in the Town Clerk’s Office experienced a line forming at 9 a.m. to access applications for distribution to serial absentee voters, and beyond.

Why the line?

Traditionally absentee ballot applications are available months in advance of a vote. Political influencers came and went as they pleased with plenty of time to distribute them to their peeps. The outgrowth of Gomes primary challenge of Ganim’s 251-vote win, and subsequent redo order by the court, led Judge William Clark limiting dissemination of applications to just days before the actual early vote, presumably to mitigate shenanigans.

One thing leads to another in the frenzied world to win a race. A judge changes the rules, you improvise.

Both campaign camps respectively huddled this week to negotiate a strategy to arrive early Friday morning to sign out applications. Any person requesting five or more applications must sign out for them on a log, and not a yule log.

On Gomes side City Councilwoman Maria Pereira signed out for hundreds, on the Ganim side former town committee member Tony Barr did the same. Others followed, including dozens a miniscule 25 or 50. Add it up and it’s a record allowance to corral an early vote with weather a major factor.

It’s possible, just possible, that for the first time in history of a mayoral vote, more electors will cast a ballot via absentee than precinct. Depends on the weather and the enthusiasm of political players.