BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — This past Thursday, the Governor signed a bill into law securing absentee ballots and in that law is a measure requiring an election monitor for the city of Bridgeport.
Friday, organizers with Bridgeport Generation Now celebrated that move saying it’s time to bring back democracy to the election process in the city of Bridgeport and it starts with the election monitor.
“Every single person who lives here and goes through those polls the will of that voter should be counted,” said Co-director of Bridgeport Generation Now, Gemeem Davis
The organization says the legislation allows cities to open-up the outer envelope of an absentee ballot 5-days early for processing and explains that the election monitor will be reporting under the Secretary of the State’s office until the end of the year.
The monitor in simple terms will be looking for issues around processes and procedures to make sure everything is done to a standard during the November election.
State senator Marylin Moore agreed this election monitor will be good for the city.
In the press conference, she said, “I want you to know that people recognize what’s going on in Bridgeport
Organizers say Bridgeport has a history of absentee ballot fraud and abuse.
Just last year, the voting rights group challenged the mayoral primary election results in the Connecticut supreme court case Lazar v. Ganim.
It alleged that election results in the 2019 primary were unreliable; those election results were finalized after review.
State officials say they hope this will instill confidence back in the city’s elections.
“This is about every voter in Bridgeport making sure that when they do a ballot or when they vote that it’s fair, it’s honest and it has integrity,” said State senator Moore.
Although the election monitor has not been named yet, organizers say they will make sure every ballot cast is done correctly.
Davis said, “We are going to fix this democracy one step at a time, we will not let up because when we vote, we win we will clean up the city I promise you.”
Going forward what organizers want is an election monitor that will be here longer than just the end of this year.