There’s a huge difference between helping a voter fill out an absentee ballot application and an actual ballot. On the first day of testimony some witnesses in the lawsuit calling for a new Democratic primary admitted they had help filling out applications, something that is legal. One of the three plaintiffs Annette Goodridge was bewildered why she was in the courtroom in a case brought with the help of Bridgeport Generation Now Votes whose leadership supports State Senator Marilyn Moore’s campaign for mayor.
According to testimony witnesses said they voted for the person they wanted to vote for and were not pressured to vote otherwise. No one said their vote wasn’t counted.
CT Post reporter Dan Tepfer was in the courtroom:
Three city voters seeking to overturn Mayor Joseph Ganim’s Democratic primary win forged ahead with their legal case on Wednesday, calling eight residents to the witness stand who said they had help filling out applications for absentee ballots.
But none of the eight appeared to support the plaintiffs’ contention that the primary should be overturned because of a mistake in the counting of the ballots.
And one of the plaintiffs, Annette Goodridge, appeared confused about why she was in court in the first place.
… Goodridge, who took the witness stand Wednesday, testified under questioning by Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon Jr. that she had been approached by several people whose names she didn’t recall to be part of the lawsuit.
“First I said ‘no’ because at the time I was getting ready to paint my house,” Goodridge explained. She said she had filled out an absentee ballot for the people she wanted to vote for and then gave the ballot to a woman named Josephine who worked for the Moore campaign.
(Josephine Edmonds is a Moore supporter so in at least one example this undercuts the lawsuit’s argument that this was a one-sided systematic effort to bag absentee ballots.)
Full story here.
The importance of knowing. ignorance is common on election issues, yet a group that is justifying its existence in a community where they are “TOURIST” needs to educate themselves before advocating to or for others…Many lives will be disrupted by this and nothing, nothing will CHANGE….
They didn’t go to U.CLA!
Hector, how come you didn’t run for mayor and why wasn’t there a Hispanic/Latino candidate running for mayor in the Democrat primary?
Because the latino/Hispanics like Joe Ganim…
What has he done an are you saying that there isn’t any Latino/Hispanics qualify to run for mayor or are they scare or just not good enough to run and that it’s better to fight for the crumbs that Ganim gives out?
Joel, so that’s the standard for electing the mayor of Bridgeport by Latino/Hispanics is that they like Joe Ganim? WOW!!!!
I think that Alma Maya should have been the mayoral candidate and Moore the candidate for City Clerk. That is if she can sign off on documents without breaking oath of office.
I like Alma Maya and she could have run for mayor also Andes Ayala as well as Marilyn Moore. Judge Lopez, Alma Maya and Andes Ayala are all very good candidates who have the background and experience and respect to be mayor.
I think Governor Joe and Police Chief Perez should be driving for UBER!!!
Really Joel? And you know this how, because of your ancestry? We all know Little Joe Ganim’s big show in defense of immigrants was just that, a show of the dog and pony variety. His support among whites and African-Americans is evaporating.
Unless there is a tribe of nine-fingered trolls living in Bridgeport you are a minority of one.
In actuality tere were’nt any candidates in this past primary up until the last 3 to 6 months. YET they were able to secure 300+ AB’s isn’t that uncanny since they are now accusing a group that that’s been communicating with thwart community for 20+ years? When we can all decide on an appropriate candidate be he/ she White, Black, Brown or candy striped that an organized campaign will sacrifice every day for 4 years and understand what their positions will be in y the administration and not just the campaign than Maybe you will see the change you feel is needed.
The standard set by Moore is: She never liked Joe Ganim, she sabotaged the Ganim administration as much as she could. Her and Gome’s support for the E. Windsor Casino is a good example.
Joel, that’s a reason against someone I asked for a reason why vote for Ganim base on his record for Latino/Hispanics.
Ron Mackey, any comment on the YouTube video on my second complaint?
Joel, what are the positive acts and actions that Mayor Ganim has done for the Latino/Hispanic community?
Hector, I bet that the Seven (7) People who interviewed the voters don’t speak or write Spanish…
BREAKING NEWS: Two days ago, I filed a second second complaint with SEEC naming Marilyn Moore and Sauda Baracka as Respondents. A copy of this You tube video was entered as evidence with an official copy of the Petition in question here, Marilyn Moore was not the circulator:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjouO2DoZo
Keep on chasing the windmills, Senor Quixote.
When Don Quijote finds the time, he will chase you and stick his long spear up your ass.
Yeah, right. RIGHT.
I believe there is one more distinction that is required in regards to assisting with helping to fill out the application for AB’s, which is legal and commendable in most cases. That distinction being, those who assist in filling out applications must attest to doing so in section vii of the application. Wonder how many people did that.
Our team in the 138th District completes section VII on every absentee ballot application we assist voters with.
In addition, we also complete the Absentee Ballot Log. Any individual that distributes 5 or more AB applications must complete the log and it must be submitted to the Town Clerk prior to the election.
If OIB readers recall, I shared that Karen Jackson was squatting in an elderly woman’s home unbeknownst to her loving son who had been deployed to Kuwait.
In 2018, I was having significant issues with my back and was unable to assist this senior citizen with her prescription pick-up, picking up her mail at her P.O. Box and assist with retrieving some groceries.
Karen lived about 100 feet away from this senior, therefore I introduced Karen as her new City Councilwoman and asked this senior to contact Karen for assistance while I recovered from my back issues.
The senior would still call me because Karen was not always responsive.
Karen thought it acceptable to take advantage of this medically fragile senior by squatting in her home for months without paying her $1 in common charges, utilities, and more.
Karen had the audacity to file ANOTHER two sentence SEEC complaint accusing ME of taking advantage of this senior that I have known and assisted for 6 years.
I am not worried in the least, however Karen Jackson has ZERO credibility.
Karen Jackson is a thief, lacks common sense, lacks intelligence, has a turbulent personal life and more.
There are GIVERS and TAKERS in this World. Karen Jackson is clearly a taker.
I was in the courtroom from 10:00 am until adjournment around 4:20 pm.
The most compelling testimony was as follows:
A nearby neighbor of City Councilman Alfredo Castillo, who knew his children from being at the same bus stop as school children, was approached by Castillo.
I believe he was 23 years old and did not qualify for an absentee ballot in any way, shape or form .
Castillo filled out an AB application and asked him to sign it. He testified he trusted Castillo so he signed it.
He further testified that Castillo called him every couple of days to ask if it had arrived. When it did arrive the witness opened it and noticed it was regarding voting but did not delve deeply into the contents of the mailing.
Castillo called the witness and asked if it had arrived and came over once he knew it had arrived.
The witness told Castillo he had not completed the ballot at all but retrieved the documents. Castillo asked the witness to sign the inner/security envelope which he did. Castillo took possession of the uncompleted ballot and envelopes as left.
The ballot was logged as received back by the Town Clerk on September 9, 2019.
Attorney Bohannon crossed him and specifically asked the witness was he sure he had seen and received a ballot. The witness indicated he was not 100% sure.
Bohannon probed further and asked the witness are you absolutely sure you handed a ballot to Alfredo Castillo. The witness responded “no, I am not.”
It was over at that point.
Maria, sounds like Castillo knew he was going to be questioned and “ coached” his friend on what to say.That’s how it’s done in Bridgeport.
This whole thing is a big waste of court time, nothing will change till Mario leaves. Till then Mario picks the Mayor.
Pure speculation or Slander. Can you back- up your statement?
If it is slander tell the victim to hire an attorney.
Josephine Edmonds is a paid “consultant” on Marilyn Moore’s campaign finance report.
One of the three plaintiffs was on the stand. When shown her AB application the witness testified that she had never seen the application, it was dated on August 22 when she was on an early flight for Jamaica, and the signature was not hers as she noted her name was spelled incorrectly.
Josephine Edmonds completed AB applications for three additional family members in the home and was apparently a distant relative. She further testified none of the four AB voters qualified for an AB and could have voted at their polling location.
Josephine Edmonds called the witness and asked if the ABs had arrived . The witness stated they had and Josephine Edmonds said “I will be right over.”
She came to the home and was present when all four family members completed their ballots, sealed them in the required envelopes and took all four ballots in order to mail them.
Days later, another family member that was a candidate on Marilyn Moore’s slate called the witness to ask who they all voted for. This made the witness uncomfortable.
Attorney Bohannon asked every witness, except the woman who did not mail back her ABs, “did you vote for the candidates you wanted to vote for?”
Every witness responded that they had.
He also asked every witness that completed an AB ” do you have any reason to believe your vote was not counted?”
Every witness responded that they did NOT have that concern.
Although many of the witnesses testified that campaign operatives were present when they completed their ballot and often mailed their ballot, which is a violation of the law, those matters need to be addressed by the SEEC.
I have not heard any compelling testimony that an “elections official made a mistake in “counting” votes/ballots.
The mistake in counting the ballots is that some were fraudulently obtained.
OIB, The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Double-D,
Your’re getting the ladies confused. The chronic complainer is Marilyn Moore. When you speaketh, you dareth to mention her name.
She takes her protests to court where you cheer her on. I encourage you to redirect your complaints and stop acting like the court jester!
You were in the courtroom, Paul? Didn’t know there was bar service in Superior Court.
Is this a set-up?
Superior Courts provide superior bar service.
Have a nice day-unless you’ve made OTHER PLANS.
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Black-Rock-Harbor-sewage-spills-to-last-decades-14489068.php