The State Elections Enforcement Commission ( SEEC ) ruled this week that all alleged violations that occurred last month during Bridgeport’s court-ordered mayoral election were necessary to be investigated.
” Necessary to investigate is just a boundary dedication that the claims are within our jurisdiction”, Joshua Foley, an attorney in the SEEC’s public finance system, told The Epoch Times.
” It’s not an arbitration or wisdom of the virtues. Simply put, it means they fall under our control and we will look into it.
Now, the SEEC has received more than 30 recommendations regarding Bridgeport’s municipal vote.
Ms. Thomas’s appointment will be assigned a record number, an lawyer, and a legitimate investigator.
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According to Mr. Foley,” They will continue to research and when they have found some information they want to return to the committee, they share that information with the payment, and the commission decides what to do.”
Following allegations of fraud in earlier elections, the former president Joe Ganim and opponent John Gomes were involved in the reported situations.
Mr. Gomes had been challenging Mr. Ganim since Connecticut Superior Court Judge William Clark overturned next year’s Sept. 12 Democrat major based on those claims.
As you may be aware, this company only has the authority to examine the activity described in the attached and not have any investigative authority, according to Ms. Thomas in the referral.
In the event that these issues fall under the purview of the State Elections Enforcement Commission,” I am thus bringing these issues to your focus.”
Ms. Thomas did not respond to requests for reply, but according to her referral to the SEEC, eight out of 63 voters indicated they had received absentee ballots without asking for them, and three supposedly suspicious activity incidents have taken place at drop boxes that suggest absentee ballot abnormalities involving just one person.
Another voting claimed that people came to his home to assist him, hand him some documents, and then removed his ballot during a spot check.
” If the investigation shows evidence of legal activity, then that is usually forwarded to the general state’s lawyer, which is the company for prosecuting legal things”, Mr. Foley added.
” If they’re not legal matters, but they are still election laws violations, finally the committee itself has the power to prosecute them”.
In a complaint made by Mr. Ganim’s fresh deputy chief of staff Constance Vickers, who alleging money was exchanged for a completed absentee ballot, were names of people from the Gomes plan.
Poll monitors were given the opportunity to watch the gubernatorial election by Ms. Thomas, a Democrat, to report the events.
” They must have called the voter”, Ms. Vickers told The Epoch Times. ” I really reported what I was told,” I said.
Ms. Vickers is a inc- owner of Park City Consulting, which Mr. Ganim’s plan contracted with for several election services.
As of September 2023, Park City Consulting received$ 140, 000 from Ganim for Bridgeport ‘ 23, the campaign committee for Mr. Ganim, and in 2022 Gov. Ned Lamont paid Park City Consulting$ 16, 000 for its Get Out the Vote operation.
She co-owns a consulting firm that has gained money through numerous campaigns, including this most recent one, and she is also Joe Ganim’s new deputy chief of staff, which is where Mr. Gomes filed a complaint, he claimed.
” How is that not a conflict of interest”?
Before being promoted, Ms. Vickers was a campaign volunteer as well as Mr. Ganim’s legislative aide.
Additionally, she presided over the Connecticut Young Democrats.
When asked about Park City Consulting, Ms. Vickers called it a side hustle.
” I do n’t do this in City Hall”, she said” This is above and beyond. I’m not married. I do n’t have kids. All of my friends are political, so we both live and support it. I just work all the time”.
Mr. Ganim and Mr. Gomes are both Democrats. However, Mr. Gomes campaigned as an Independent.
Bridgeport has 42, 000 Democrats, 22, 000 unaffiliated voters, and 4, 700 Republicans.
Kim McLaughlin, a Gomes supporter, revealed to The Epoch Times that four separate incidents occurred on February 22 in the 199 Yacht Street building, including one where two Spanish-speaking ladies allegedly voted for a resident on his absentee ballot before leaving the ballot with them.
The incidents were reported directly to the SEEC, not the Secretary of State’s office.
” We still have more complaints to write up and send”, Ms. McLaughlin told The Epoch Times.
A man entered our office who was only Spanish-speaking. He gave us an envelope with a ballot and said he could n’t vote because he was n’t a citizen, but he was still sent an absentee ballot.
Mr. Foley could not confirm or deny whether the SEEC had received Ms. McLaughlin’s referral.
35 people make up the SEEC’s full-time workforce, which is led by Executive Director Michael J. Brandi.
They meet every two weeks to review complaints and determine whether they are “necessary to investigate.”
” The complaints are very serious but, sadly, not shocking”, state Rep. Jason Perillo ( R- Shelton ) told The Epoch Times.
” Republicans have been saying this for years but we’ve been dismissed”.
