The Connecticut Board of Elections Enforcement has filed yet another criminal complaint against a Democratic Party official in Bridgeport, where four other Democrats and former campaign workers have already been charged with improper handling of absentee ballots.
Maria Pereira
On Wednesday, the SEEC filed criminal charges against Bridgeport City Council Member Maria Pereira in connection with absentee ballots collected in last year’s Democratic primary. On the day of the 2023 primary, Pereira’s chances of reelection appeared to be fading, but additional absentee ballots added that evening suddenly put her on a winning path.
“Maria likes to bribe the elderly, bringing them Christmas presents, buying them food and little things.”
The SEEC investigation stemmed from a complaint filed by one of Pereira’s Democratic opponents, Kevin Monks, and includes statements from several residents of a specific low-income apartment complex targeted by the campaign in the 2023 primary election. CT mirror Said.
“Maria Pereira came to my house to collect the ballot,” one resident said. “She said she would mail it for me, she told me which item to vote for and I signed it.”[ed] that.”
“For four years, Maria Pereira has been stealing my ballots and delivering them in bags,” another resident wrote in the letter. “Maria likes to bribe the elderly, bringing them Christmas presents, buying them food, buying them little things.”
A screenshot of a handwritten note scribbled on what appears to be an absentee ballot was shared on X. John Craven News 12 Connecticut reported that Pereira, or someone impersonating him, attempted to influence how people voted.
“Just like I get to decide which residents to choose, you can vote for whoever you want.[ts] “I either cooperate or I don’t,” Pereira reportedly wrote in one person’s absentee ballot instructions.
In another instruction, she allegedly wrote: “No one will ever know!” he wrote, adding a heart and her name.
“During and after the primary election, I heard complaints from numerous residents that Mr. Pereira engaged in illegal and unethical conduct during and in past elections,” Monks wrote in the complaint.
Despite the statements and clear evidence against her, Pereira has dismissed the criminal charges as merely a show-off by a fierce political opponent.
“I’m not concerned in the slightest,” she said in a statement. “This is a marathon, not a sprint, and I am preparing to file a major lawsuit against the city.”
Leader of Yankee LabConnecticut’s government watchdog group believes the recommendation shows “systemic corruption” in state politics and will further erode public confidence in the electoral process.
“For Americans, regardless of party affiliation, to have confidence in our electoral system, they need to know that their government is committed to conducting fair and impartial elections,” said Carol Pratt Liebau, president of the Yankee Institute. “Protecting the integrity of the vote is one of government’s most sacred duties.”
“The recent allegations in Bridgeport highlight systemic corruption in Connecticut, where elected officials have done little to protect absentee voting. Fair and free elections must transcend partisan politics,” Frank Rich, a Connecticut fire chief and Yankee Institute researcher, told The Blaze News.
The SEEC investigates allegations of election fraud and, if necessary, recommends criminal charges to State Attorney General Patrick Griffin. A spokesman for Griffin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the SEEC. Trumbell Times.
Pereira said:voteThe location was identified on Election Day last fall, but prosecutors declined to bring charges.
Recent Elections in Bridgeport
In Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populous city, absentee ballots appear to have a major impact on the election.
As The Blaze News previously reported, incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim, whose decades-long term as mayor was interrupted by seven years in prison on felony charges related to political corruption, narrowly defeated formidable challengers in the Democratic mayoral primary in both 2019 and 2023.
The 2023 primary was so problematic that a judge threw out the results and ordered the primary to be rerun.
In both primaries, Ganim’s challengers appeared to have substantial leads before absentee ballots were added in. Ultimately, those votes helped Ganim win by 270 votes against state Sen. Marilyn Moore in 2019 and by 251 votes against Sen. John Gomez last fall.
Last month, three members of Ganim’s 2019 campaign and one member of Moore’s campaign were indicted on criminal charges related to some of the absentee ballot counts, with charges ranging from improper handling and illegal possession of absentee ballots to witness tampering.
Two of the defendants in the case are current Bridgeport Democratic Party officials: Alfredo Castillo. Democratic City Council MemberCo-defendant Wanda Gator Pataky is a longtime supporter of Mayor Ganim and vice chair of the city’s Democratic Party.
Gator Pataky was also apparently caught on security cameras stuffing ballot boxes outside City Hall during the 2023 mayoral primary. In fact, the 2023 mayoral primary was so problematic that a judge threw out the results and ordered the primary to be rerun, but Ganim won the second primary and the general election.
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