A Connecticut judge has ordered a rerun of the Sept. 12 Democratic primary in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city, after obtaining video evidence of possible illegal ballot box stuffing days before the original primary.
Surveillance video shows several people stuffing piles of ballots into ballot boxes at several locations around the city.
In his ruling, Supreme Court Justice William Clark said he had seen enough evidence of wrongdoing to order a rerun of a Sept. 12 primary in which incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim defeated challenger John Gomes by a slim 251 votes out of 8,173 cast .
The Gomes campaign later sued the city and demanded a new area code.
“The volume of ballots so mishandled is so great that the outcome of the primary is placed in serious doubt and the Court is unable to determine the legitimate outcome of the primary,” Clark wrote in his ruling.
Video from Bridgeport police showing city employee Wanda Geter-Pataky placing absentee ballots into a ballot drop box outside the Margaret Morton Government Center, where she worked
Video posted by John Gomes for the mayor shows Wanda Geter and other City of Bridgeport employees allegedly throwing stacks of mail-in ballots into ballot boxes
Supreme Court Justice William Clark said he had seen enough evidence of wrongdoing to order a rerun of a Sept. 12 primary
The judge cited statistics showing unusually high numbers of mail-in ballots were cast in certain precincts and video evidence showing several people dropping stacks of ballots into mailboxes, violating state law.
Connecticut law requires voters who use a collection box to hand in their completed ballots themselves or to designate designated family members, police, local election officials or a guardian to do so for them.
“The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all parties,” Clark wrote.
Judge Clark ruled that only two women caused or were directly involved in 15 cases of ballot-stuffed mailboxes.
Gomes claims that person is Wanda Geter-Pataky, a Ganim supporter and vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee.
Multiple surveillance videos show people seemingly stuffing mail-in ballots into an outdoor ballot box days before the original primary election
Video posted by John Gomes for Mayor shows Bridgeport city employee Wanda Geter-Pataky entering the Margaret Morton Government Center, where she worked
Security cameras allowed people to be seen depositing multiple ballots at once—not just one
In court, Geter-Pataky exercised her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions.
A former city council member and current candidate also declined to answer questions about whether she appears in other videos.
Lawyers for city officials had argued in a joint legal opinion that the surveillance camera footage provided no evidence that anything illegal took place. They said “not a single voter” said their ballot was mishandled.
So far in the Bridgeport scandal there have been no allegations that people tampered with ballots or created fraudulent votes.
Instead, it is an activity called “ballot harvesting,” in which campaign workers or volunteers visit potential voters, persuade them to fill out absentee ballots, then collect those ballots and place them in mailboxes or mail them.
This man was also seen throwing several ballots into a ballot box
This type of collection effort is banned in Connecticut but allowed in some other states.
Ganim is seeking an eighth term as mayor. He previously served from 1991 to 2003 before spending seven years in federal prison on corruption and racketeering charges related to his tenure. Voters returned him to the post in 2015 and 2019.
Gomes served as the city’s acting chief administrator in Ganim’s second administration until his demotion in 2016, and later served as deputy chief administrator until his dismissal in July 2022.
Gomes has publicly suggested that his ouster was retaliation for being considered a possible candidate for mayor.
Ganim already faced a major challenge in his re-election bid in 2019, when he narrowly defeated state Sen. Marilyn Moore by 270 votes. This result was also challenged in court, but a judge ultimately affirmed the victory.
“This is a victory for the people of Bridgeport,” said Gomes, the city’s former top administrator. “Our campaign has always believed in the need to preserve the integrity of our democratic process, and Supreme Court Justice William Clark agreed.”
Ganim urged his supporters to vote on election day.
Ballot boxes are a prime target for those spreading conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential race is rigged and the election results cannot be trusted
Bridgeport City Clerk Wanda Geter-Pataky (center) works with her attorney to figure out what questions she needs to answer to avoid incriminating herself during her testimony in Bridgeport
Geter-Pataky was shown video clips of her throwing large amounts of mail-in ballots into election mailboxes
“Let’s send a strong message that we want to maintain progress in Bridgeport,” he said.
Both candidates also expressed dismay over the videos, in which both men confirmed that some of their supporters had cast multiple ballots.
“There are videos of the irregularities on both sides,” Ganim said. “This is unacceptable.” We all want everyone’s voice to count. “We all want fair elections.”
Ganim, who was convicted of corruption during his first term as mayor but regained his old post in an election after being released from prison, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of wrongdoing involving ballots. He has also accused Gomes’ campaign aides of violating election rules.
Although the date for the new primary election has not yet been set, the general election will take place this Tuesday as planned with four candidates.
Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term as mayor. He previously served from 1991 to 2003 before serving seven years in federal prison for corruption and racketeering
Democratic mayoral candidate John Gomes’ campaign later sued the city and called for a new mayoral primary
Incumbent Ganim will run, as will Gomes, who filed to run as an independent after losing the primary. Republican David Herz; and independent Lamond Daniels.
A winner will not be announced until the legal challenges are resolved.
The state’s Republicans have pounced on the Bridgeport election case as evidence that Connecticut needs to adopt election reforms that particularly impact mail-in voting.
“These videos confirm our fears that mail-in ballots can be misused.” “Now the court has spoken,” state Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly said in a statement. “What we need now is trust and confidence in our electoral system.”
News of the Bridgeport videos has spread nationwide across right-wing social media platforms and in far-right media outlets, linking the controversy to former President Donald Trump’s false stolen election claims.