Who is Wanda Geter-Pataky? Connecticut judge orders redo of Democratic mayoral primary after election worker is caught 'ballot
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT: A Connecticut judge has ordered a redo of the Democratic primary in Bridgeport after obtaining shocking surveillance footage that revealed alleged illegal ballot box stuffing.
One of the individuals allegedly involved in this misconduct has been identified as Wanda Geter-Pataky, a prominent Ganim supporter and the vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee.
The surveillance video, which emerged as a critical piece of evidence, shows several individuals appearing to forcefully insert stacks of ballot papers into drop boxes at multiple locations across the state's largest city.
Primary results under scrutiny
The primary in question took place on September 12, where incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim claimed victory over his challenger John Gomes by a narrow margin of 251 votes out of 8,173 cast. Subsequently, the Gomes campaign took legal action against the city, demanding a new primary.
Superior Court Judge William Clark, after reviewing the compelling evidence, issued a ruling that cited the gravity of the situation, stating, "The volume of ballots so mishandled is such that it calls the result of the primary election into serious doubt and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary."
Judge Clark further highlighted statistical anomalies regarding the abnormally large numbers of absentee ballots cast in certain voting districts.
The video evidence, which captured multiple individuals engaging in the act of shoving stacks of ballots into drop boxes, was in direct violation of state law. Under Connecticut law, voters using a collection box must personally deliver their completed ballots or designate specific family members, police, local election officials, or a caregiver to do so on their behalf.
"The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties," Judge Clark noted.
The court found that only two individuals were directly involved in 15 incidents of drop boxes being stuffed with ballots.
Gomes firmly contends that one of these individuals is Wanda Geter-Pataky, a staunch Ganim supporter and the vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee. However, in court, Geter-Pataky exercised her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer any questions.
Another former City Council member and current candidate also declined to answer questions regarding her potential involvement in the videos.
City officials' defense and the practice of 'ballot harvesting'
City officials had argued, in a joint legal brief, that the security camera footage did not conclusively prove any illegal activity. They pointed out that "not one voter" had testified about their ballot being mishandled.
It is crucial to note that the Bridgeport scandal does not involve allegations of ballot doctoring or the creation of fake votes.
Instead, the controversy centers on "ballot harvesting", a practice in which campaign workers or volunteers persuade potential voters to complete absentee ballots and then collect and deposit those ballots into drop boxes or send them via mail.
This form of collection is prohibited in Connecticut but allowed in some other states.
Incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term in office. His previous tenure as mayor was from 1991 to 2003, followed by seven years in federal prison due to corruption and extortion charges related to his time in office. Voters subsequently reelected him in 2015 and 2019.
John Gomes, the challenger in the primary, had served in Ganim's second administration as the city's acting chief administrative officer until he was demoted in 2016.
Later, he worked as an assistant chief administrative officer until his termination in July 2022. Gomes had publicly suggested that his dismissal was in retaliation for being rumored as a potential mayoral candidate.
Historical election controversy
Ganim had previously faced a primary challenge in his 2019 reelection bid when he narrowly defeated state Senator Marilyn Moore by 270 votes. That result had also been contested in the courts, but ultimately, a judge upheld Ganim's victory, as per the Daily Mail.
In response to the court's decision, John Gomes, the former chief administrative officer of Bridgeport, expressed his satisfaction, stating, "This is a victory for the people of Bridgeport. Our campaign always believed that the integrity of our democratic process must be upheld, and Superior Court Judge William Clark agreed."
Meanwhile, Mayor Ganim urged his supporters to turn out on Election Day as the city prepares for a contentious and closely watched mayoral election.
