A Connecticut judge ordered a new Democratic mayoral primary in Bridgeport as surveillance footage showed multiple workers allegedly stuffing absentee ballots into an outdoor ballot box days before the original primary.
In September, Incumbent Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim defeated challenger John Gomes by 251 votes out of 8,173 cast in the primary election, according to NBC.
However, Gomes released a video in October that appeared to show two women stuffing heaps of ballot papers into drop boxes at least four locations across the city.
Superior Court Judge William Clark determined the amount of evidence left the court “unable” to determine the result for the state’s largest city.
“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,” Clark wrote in his ruling on Wednesday.
The judge ruled that the abnormally large numbers of absentee ballots were cast in certain voting districts and that video evidence showing the alleged ballot stuffing violated state elections law.
“The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties,” Clark wrote in his ruling.
Judge Clark ruled two women made or were directly involved in 15 incidents of drop boxes being stuffed with ballots.
Gomes’s campaign accused Wanda Geter-Pataky as one of the women who was videoed stuffing the boxes.
Geter-Pataky, a supporter of Ganim and vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee, was questioned in court over her alleged actions, but exercised her Fifth Amendment right and declined to answer questions.
Eneida Martinez, a former city councilwoman, was also questioned in court but would not answer questions about whether she appears in videos showing election fraud.
Gomes — whose campaign obtained the surveillance video and sued the city over the results — demanded a new primary.
“This is a victory for the people of Bridgeport,” Gomes said, according to ABC. “Our campaign always believed that the integrity of our democratic process must be upheld and Superior Court Judge William Clark agreed.”
Clark’s ruling came just six days before Connecticut’s general election on Tuesday.
Voters will now have to return to their polling places following the state’s general election to choose the rightful Democratic nominee, Clark ruled.
The new primary date has yet to be set.
Lamond Daniels and Republican David Herz are also running for mayor.
The defense of the city officials argued that the security camera footage doesn’t prove anything illegal took place — citing “not one voter” has testified about their ballot being mishandled.
All allegations were for “ballot harvesting” and not that ballots were doctored or fake.
Ballot harvesting occurs when campaign workers or volunteers for a candidate meet with potential voters and talk them into filling out absentee ballots so they can use those ballots to put in drop boxes or send them out through the mail.
Ganim — who’s denied any knowledge of wrongdoing — also accused Gomes’ campaign workers of breaking voting rules.
“On both sides, there is video of the irregularities. That’s not acceptable. We all want everyone’s vote to count. We all want fair elections.”
The State Elections Enforcement Commission is currently investigating the allegations of ballot-stuffing.
Under Connecticut law, voters using a collection box must drop off their completed ballots themselves, or designate certain family members, police, local election officials or a caregiver to do it for them.
With Post wires
