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Politics

Connecticut ballot stuffing scandal prompts a mayoral election revote


A ballot stuffing scandal caught on camera in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is prompting a primary election revote following the city’s general election. Voters will have to cast their votes again in a close mayoral race for Connecticut’s largest city.

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Mayor Joe Ganim defeated challenger John Gomes by 251 votes in September’s primary election out of roughly 8,000 votes cast. Ganim won again by 173 votes in last week’s general election.

While Gomes won the machine vote both times, absentee ballots in Ganim’s favor secured his victory.

However, Gomes’ campaign reviewed video surveillance outside of ballot drop boxes and compiled clips as evidence, calling it election tampering.

Gomes filed a lawsuit following the discovery.

Multiple clips captured outside Bridgeport’s ballot drop boxes show several people inserting multiple ballots at once at multiple drop locations.

One woman is seen on camera at 5:30 a.m. appearing to deposit multiple ballots at a time. The same woman returns three days later at 6 a.m. and appears to deposit more ballots

A few days later, the woman returns to the drop box again. This time, she seems to make three deposits.

Gomes’ campaign claims the woman is Wanda Geter-Pataky, a Bridgeport City employee and Democratic Party official who is helping the opposing campaign.

As part of Gomes’ lawsuit, she was asked to testify about her actions in the footage. Geter-Pataky was questioned for 35 minutes but took the fifth. Gerter-Pataky and her attorney refused to answer questions.

Wanda Geter-Pataky is also named in a 2019 state election investigation into ballot fraud.

Eneida Martinez also stood trial in the scandal. Martinez is running for reelection as a city councilwoman and won her reelection bid last week.

Martinez is allegedly identified in the video footage, returning several times appearing to deposit multiple ballots each appearance.

She also pleaded the fifth on the stand.

Superior Court Judge William Clark is calling for another mayoral election that will be held in January.

“The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties,” Clark wrote. “The volume of ballots so mishandled is such that it calls the result of the primary election into serious doubt and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.”

The judge ruled that an abnormally large number of absentee ballots were cast in certain voting districts.

According to Gomes’ lawyer Bill Bloss, his review of the video surveillance showed no more than 420 people used ballot drop boxes, yet over 1,200 ballots were submitted there.

Bridgeport has experienced fraud before.

The incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim was the city’s mayor from 1991 to 2003 before resigning from his post and spending seven years in prison convicted on federal corruption-related charges.

Ganim was reelected as mayor in 2015 and he has held the position ever since.

Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas filed an order calling for the mayoral primary election revote to be held Jan. 23 — a date agreed on by both parties.

If Ganim wins again then the incumbent will stay in office and the drawn-out election will be over. However, if Gomes wins the primary, then another general election will have to be held.

The proposed date for the potential general election is Feb. 27.

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[KARAH NAME RUCKER]

A PRIMARY ELECTION RE-DO AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION WAS HELD.

THAT’S NOT SOMETHING YOU HEAR VERY OFTEN.

BUT BECAUSE OF A BALLOT-STUFFING SCANDAL CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT –

VOTERS WILL HAVE TO CAST THEIR VOTES ALL OVER AGAIN –

IN WHAT HAS BEEN A CLOSE MAYORAL RACE IN THE STATE’S LARGEST CITY.

INCUMBENT MAYOR JOE GANIM DEFEATED HIS CHALLENGER JOHN GOMES BY 251 VOTES IN SEPTEMBER’S PRIMARY ELECTION –

AND BY AN EVEN SLIMMER MARGIN OF 173 VOTES IN THE GENERAL ELECTION LAST WEEK.

GANIM’S CHALLENGER WON THE MACHINE VOTE BOTH TIMES.

BUT BIG MARGINS IN ABSENTEE BALLOTS GOING IN GANIM’S FAVOR –

PUSHED HIM OVER THE EDGE TO VICTORY.

OR – DID IT?

THERE WILL NOT BE A RE-COUNT – BUT A RE VOTE –

AFTER THOSE ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE TAINTED WITH FRAUD ALLEGATIONS DURING THE PRIMARY.

GOMES’ CAMPAIGN REVIEWED VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OUTSIDE BALLOT DROP BOXES.

GOMES COMPILED THIS VIDEO – CALLING IT EVIDENCE OF ELECTION TAMPERING.

GOMES FILED A LAWSUIT AND A JUDGE WOULD AGREE.

MULTIPLE CLIPS LIKE THIS WERE CAPTURED OUTSIDE BRIDGEPORT’S BALLOT DROP BOXES.

DAY — AND NIGHT —

SEVERAL PEOPLE – APPEARING TO INSERT MULTIPLE BALLOTS AT ONCE.

AT MULTIPLE DROP BOX LOCATIONS.

THIS WOMAN IS SEEN ON CAMERA AT 5:30 IN THE MORNING

 – APPEARING TO DEPOSIT MULTIPLE BALLOTS AT A TIME.

SHE RETURNS THREE DAYS LATER. 6 A-M.

APPEARING TO DEPOSIT MORE BALLOTS.

A FEW DAYS LATER –

SHE IS BACK AT THE SCENE – MORE PAPERS IN HAND.

THIS TIME – SHE IS SEEN MAKING TRIPS BACK AND FORTH TO THE BALLOT BOX.

MAKING THREE DEPOSITS.

ACCORDING TO GOMES’ CAMPAIGN –

SHE IS A BRIDGEPORT CITY EMPLOYEE AND DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICIAL SAID TO BE HELPING THE OPPOSING CAMPAIGN.

AS PART OF GOMES’ LAWSUIT —

WANDA GETER-PATAKY WAS ASKED TO TESTIFY ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW IN THE FOOTAGE.

WHEN SHE TOOK THE STAND – SHE TOOK THE FIFTH.

[ATTORNEY]

“Did you ever deposit an absentee ballot or completed a ballot that was not yours in a city drop box?”

[KARAH]

On the witness stand and questioned for 35 minutes – Wanda GETER Pataky – the city hall employee and supporter of Ganim, took the fith. Her and her attorney refusing to answer questions.

WANDA GETER PATAKY  IS THE SAME WOMAN NAMED IN A 20-19 STATE ELECTION INVESTIGATION – INTO BALLOT FRAUD.

BUT GETER-PATACKY WASN’T THE ONLY ONE STANDING TRIAL IN THE STUFFING SCANDAL.

ENEIDA MARTINEZ – RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION AS A CITY COUNCILWOMAN – WHO WON HER RE-ELECTION BID LAST WEEK –

IS ALSO ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF THE BALLOT STUFFING SCANDAL.

ALLEGEDLY IDENTIFIED IN THIS VIDEO HERE.

AND HERE.

RETURNING SEVERAL TIMES – 

APPEARING TO DEPOSIT MULTIPLE BALLOTS EACH APPEARANCE.

SHE ALSO PLEADED THE FIFTH ON THE STAND.

THE JUDGE IN THE CASE – CALLING FOR ANOTHER MAYORAL ELECTION THAT WILL BE HELD IN JANUARY.

THE JUDGE WROTE “The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties. The volume of ballots so mishandled is such that it calls the result of the primary election into serious doubt and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.”

THE JUDGE RULED AN ABNORMALLY LARGE NUMBER OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE CAST IN CERTAIN VOTING DISTRICTS.

ACCORDING TO GOMES’ LAWYER –

HIS REVIEW OF THE VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SHOWED NO MORE THAN 420 PEOPLE USED BALLOT DROP BOXES.

BUT MORE THAN 1200 BALLOTS WERE SUBMITTED THERE.

REMEMBER – IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION – THE RESULT WAS DECIDED WITHIN A 250 VOTE MARGIN OUT OF ROUGHLY 8 THOUSAND VOTES CAST.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT HAS BEEN TAINTED BY FRAUD.

THE INCUMBENT MAYOR JOE GANIM – WAS THE CITY’S MAYOR FROM 1991 TO 2003 –

BEFORE HE RESIGNED FROM HIS POST AND SPENT SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON –

CONVICTED ON FEDERAL CORRUPTION-RELATED CHARGES.

HE WAS RE-ELECTED MAYOR IN 20-15 AND HAS BEEN MAYOR EVER SINCE.

CONNECTICUT’S SECRETARY OF STATE FILED AN ORDER THIS WEEK –

CALLING FOR THE DO-OVER MAYORAL PRIMARY ELECTION TO BE HELD JANUARY 23RD – A DATE BOTH PARTIES AGREED ON.

IF GANIM WINS AGAIN — THEN THE INCUMBENT WILL STAY IN OFFICE AND THE DRAWN-OUT ELECTION IS OVER.

BUT.

IF GOMES WINS THE PRIMARY –

THEN ANOTHER GENERAL ELECTION WILL HAVE TO BE HELD.

THAT ONE – HAS A PROPOSED DATE OF FEBRUARY 27TH.

IT’S BEEN CALLED “THE MOST CONFUSING ELECTION IN THE COUNTRY.”

AS THE COUNTRY – READIES ITSELF FOR A MAJOR ELECTION CYCLE AHEAD.