Sen. Sampson Implores GAE Committee Leadership to Act to Secure CT Elections: ‘If not now, then when?’
March 13, 2024State Sen. Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott), ranking member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, today issued the following statement following the committee’s public hearing on various election-related measures including legislation to protect election workers and election locations, and prevent election-related deception with artificial intelligence.
“I agree with the spirit of our committee bills to protect election workers, and prevent bad actors from deceiving voters. However, I have been shouting from the rooftops about the need to pass comprehensive election reform laws. Why is it taking so long? Here we are, midway through the legislative session and the majority has yet to introduce legitimate measures to prevent more voter fraud, like what we saw in Bridgeport.
“Serious and lasting damage to voter confidence has already been done. The ballot-stuffing videos from Bridgeport went viral. The world is now paying attention to what do about this fiasco. Democrats say it’s merely a ‘Bridgeport problem’, yet it has also happened in Stamford, West Haven, and elsewhere.
“What we saw in Bridgeport was disenfranchisement on steroids. Faith in the integrity of our election system has been shaken. It’s undeniable, and it’s all caught on video. Democrats could have acted six months ago but didn’t.
“Today, majority Democrats are again saying to ‘wait and see’ for upcoming legislation to be heard that may address voter fraud. If not now, then when? I implore my colleagues to make this a priority in the coming weeks,” he said.
Sen. Sampson added that in September, majority Democrats repeatedly voted against several Republican measures aimed at addressing known voting abuses and closing corruption loopholes in Connecticut’s election system. Democrats voted as a bloc against Senate Republican amendments which sought to:
- Eliminate absentee ballot drop boxes
- Suspend the use of drop boxes until the Bridgeport’s elections monitor issues a report
- Prevent the mailing of unsolicited absentee ballots
- Waiving fees for driver’s licenses and photo IDs and requiring a copy in the AB envelope
- Impose a mandatory one-year prison sentence for those found guilty of absentee ballot fraud
View Sen. Sampson’s introduction of each amendment and final vote tally from the Sept. 26, 2023 special session here.
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Matt Fraulino
Press Secretary
Senate Republican Office
860-240-8832
