Connecticut lawmakers voted on Tuesday to allocate $150,000 for a special election monitor for Bridgeport. The decision comes in the wake of a scandal that has rocked the state’s largest city, where surveillance footage captured a woman inserting multiple pieces of paper into an absentee ballot drop box just one week before the mayoral primary election.
Under the newly passed legislation, the special monitor will be responsible for conducting inspections and investigations for the upcoming 2023 municipal election and the 2024 state election in Bridgeport, NBC Connecticut reported.
State Sen. Rob Sampson, a Republican from Wolcott, emphasized the importance of the new legislation but also expressed concerns. “It’s necessary to show the people of Connecticut that we’re not going to tolerate people undermining our election process,” said Sampson. He added that the video confirmed his long-standing fears about the potential misuse of absentee ballots.
Sampson, along with other Republicans in the state House, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the election monitor bill to eliminate drop boxes from outside all 169 city and town halls across Connecticut. They argue that such a move would further secure the electoral process and instill greater confidence among voters.
BREAKING: Connecticut lawmakers voted to approve $150,000 in funding for a special election investigator for Bridgeport after surveillance cameras recorded a woman stuffing mail-in ballots into a drop box a week before the mayoral primary election.
The monitor will conduct… pic.twitter.com/4ZglIxAqeT
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 28, 2023
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that mayoral candidate John Gomes’ campaign released a damning video earlier this month showing evidence of election fraud in the recent Bridgeport Democratic primary. The video has prompted an investigation by the Bridgeport Police Department for “possible misconduct.”
The video on the Gomes campaign’s Facebook page shows a woman dropping stacks of ‘illegal’ ballots into an absentee ballot box outside the Bridgeport government center, where the city’s Registrar of Voters office is located, CT Mirror reported.
The Gomes campaign was able to identify the woman in the footage as Wanda Geter-Pataky, the Vice Chairwoman of the Democratic Town Clerk and a vocal supporter of incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim, who is seeking reelection. Gomes’ campaign claims that the video shows Geter-Pataky dropping off stacks of absentee ballots ahead of the September 12th primary.
“Video surveillance proving that the mayoral election was unequivocally stolen through corruption within City Hall by tampering with absentee ballots,” John Gomes said on his Facebook page.
“This is an undeniable act of voter suppression and a huge civil rights violation. It’s time to restore lasting credibility to our city’s democracy. Once and for ALL. Enough is enough!” he added.
WATCH:
The Bridgeport Police Department confirmed that they are actively investigating the actions shown in the video.
“The Bridgeport Police Department are actively investigating information regarding possible misconduct based upon a video that has surfaced on social media,” the department told CT Mirror.
The police department is investigating how the video was obtained and released to the public.
“The Bridgeport Police Department immediately initiated an investigation to determine if any criminal wrongdoing has occurred. In addition, an internal investigation is being conducted to determine if any possible breach to our security video management system has occurred,” it added.
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter said the department takes “these actions seriously and we will pursue possible criminal prosecution and/or administrative discipline as it relates to any such security violations.”
“Geter-Pataky, who the Gomes campaign alleges is the woman in the video, is one of three individuals the SEEC recommended for criminal charges following an investigation into complaints about absentee ballot handling in Ganim’s tight 2019 primary against Sen. Marilyn Moore,” according to CT Mirror.
The news outlet continued, “As a result, the Gomes campaign is alleging that the video is evidence of a string of absentee ballot fraud in the city.”
Democrat Mayoral candidate John Gomes filed a lawsuit challenging the results of his party’s primary in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and requesting a new Democratic primary.
Christine Bartlett-Jose, the campaign manager for Democrat Mayoral candidate John Gomes, laid out a compelling case for why the recent Democratic primary election results in Bridgeport should be scrutinized and possibly invalidated.
“In this primary alone, the city of Bridgeport received over 4,000 absentee ballot applications, an unprecedented number in the city and possibly the state,” said Bartlett-Jose. She pointed out that the city had a lead of 470 votes based on incoming results on primary night. However, as absentee ballots were tabulated, their lead dramatically eroded, resulting in a two-to-one loss margin with an ultimate election difference of 251 votes.
Bartlett-Jose stated that the campaign has gathered evidence indicating voter suppression and absentee ballot fraud. “Multiple complaints have been filed with the State Election Enforcement Commission, including the most recent and irrefutable piece of evidence—an incriminating video from City Hall security footage showing Wanda Gita Pasky, the vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee, depositing absentee ballots,” she said.
Gita Pasky’s involvement in this election is deeply concerning, according to Bartlett-Jose.
“She has been named in various complaints across many districts related to harassment, bullying, promises of Section Eight, rent rebate, groceries, just to name a few,” she added.
Gita Pasky was recommended by the State Election Enforcement Commission to the State’s Attorney’s Office for criminal investigation regarding alleged misuse of absentee ballots in the 2019 primary election.
The campaign will be petitioning the court to file an injunction against the primary election results, which have yet to be certified by the Secretary of State.
“This step is essential to prevent potential tainted results from being finalized,” Bartlett-Jose emphasized. They will also be seeking a restraining order against the distribution of any additional absentee ballot applications from the Town Clerk’s Office.
John Gomes, the Democratic challenger, said, “Right now there is a black cloud over Bridgeport, there is no trust. We walk around and I don’t know what to tell the people.”
He added that the evidence is overwhelming and speaks for itself, especially the video footage. Gomes and his campaign are filing a lawsuit, not only seeking a judge to prevent last week’s election results from being certified but also asking for a new Democratic primary.
BREAKING: Democrat Mayoral candidate John Gomes of Bridgeport, Connecticut has filed a lawsuit challenging his party’s primary results after a bombshell video showed a Democrat clerk inserting illegal ballots into a drop box
“On primary night our campaign was victorious at the… pic.twitter.com/vF8Yi2vBTR
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 18, 2023
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