A voting scandal in Connecticut's largest city has led to the arrest of a Democratic Party official, a city council member, and two campaign workers. The scandal involved mishandling absentee ballots during the city's 2019 Democratic primary election. The accused individuals are facing charges of unlawful possession of absentee ballots and other violations of elections law.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants manipulated the absentee ballot system by misleading voters about eligibility requirements, influencing voters' candidate choices, and mishandling both absentee ballot applications and the ballots themselves. The arrests are part of an effort to deter tampering with election results in the future.
In a separate incident, surveillance videos surfaced during the 2023 mayoral election, showing individuals stuffing multiple absentee ballots into outdoor collection boxes. This led to a judge ordering a rerun of the election between the incumbent mayor and his opponent. The vice chairperson of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee was implicated in this episode.
The incumbent mayor, who won the 2019 primary and the subsequent 2023 election, has denied any involvement in the ballot irregularities. The senator who lost in the 2019 primary expressed disappointment that one of her campaign workers was accused of mishandling ballots.
The arrests come after years of investigation, with evidence of alleged criminal conduct being referred to state prosecutors in 2023. The accused individuals have been released on promises to appear in court in June.
