Sen. Sampson Statement on Alleged Absentee Ballot Fraud in Bridgeport

State Sen. Rob Sampson (R-16), ranking member of the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee, today issued a statement on reports of the criminal referral of three individuals connected to Joe Ganim’s 2019 mayoral campaign because of alleged fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

“If true, here is more proof that absentee and mail-in balloting is ripe for exploitation by bad actors. I have warned of this for years and repeat my position that absentee ballots should be used sparingly, limited to those who are truly unable to vote in-person. That is not an effort to suppress voting as Connecticut Democrats falsely claim. It is to restore confidence in our system.

“On the contrary, it’s the Democrats’ state policy – implemented in Democrat-controlled cities – where we see voices that have been suppressed. Enough is enough. We need to restore election integrity and security as a primary goal. Voters are losing trust in our system, and that is a direct result of the many changes in election laws that occurred over the last decade.

“The legislature must act on real reforms to ensure that criminals do not have an opportunity to silence legitimate voters in Connecticut,” he said.