Four campaign workers in Connecticut charged with mishandling absentee ballots

Four campaign workers in Connecticut on Tuesday were charged with mishandling absentee ballots in a 2019 Democratic mayoral primary, including one of the city's council members, and a Democratic Party official.

The four campaign workers, who took part in handling absentee ballots during the election in Bridgeport, Connecticut, were each charged with unlawful possession of absentee ballots, along with various other election law violations. The 2019 primary saw incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim, beat state Sen. Marilyn Moore by just 270 votes, according to the Associated Press.

Among those charged are Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee Vice Chairperson Wanda Geter-Pataky, City Council Member Alfredo Castillo, and campaign workers Nilsa Heredia and Josephine Edmonds.

The 2019 election scandal predated an even more controversial election, which occurred in the city last year. The 2023 scandal resulted in a judge ordering a redo of the mayoral election, which Ganim won the primary in January, and the general election in February. 

“I hope these prosecutions will send a message that deters tampering with election results in the future in Connecticut,” Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin wrote in a written statement.

Prosecutors claimed that some of the accused had misled voters about eligibility requirements for absentee ballots, violated rules for handling absentee ballot applications and the ballots themselves, were improperly present when the ballots were filled out, and some allegedly even told the voters who to vote for. It is not clear who is accused of which crimes.

Ganim praised the arrests on Tuesday, claiming that "any irregularity is unacceptable." He has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing among his own campaign in both elections.

“Whether it’s people accused from the Moore campaign or my campaign -- any irregularity is unacceptable,” Ganim said in a statement. “We all agree that the integrity of the voting process is vital to our democracy.”

Moore said she was disappointed that someone on her staff had been involved in the scandal, and confirmed Edmonds was on her payroll in 2019. 

“I ran on integrity and I also ran on integrity for my Senate campaign. That’s what I tried to foster, integrity in all campaigns,” Moore told the AP. “That I had a person doing the opposite bothers me, especially knowing who I am and knowing that I don’t cut corners on anything.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.