Category: Election2010

Representative James Spallone, with and exploratory committee for Secretary of the state visited his hometown Democratic Town Committee in Chester.  Middletown Press <read>

Spallone has served on the General Assembly for the past nine years, including a current stint as chairman of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, where he passed legislation concerning how campaign money is used in elections.

He was a sponsor and advocate of the campaign finance reform bill that passed in 2005, which bars politicians from taking lobbyist money. Spallone said Wednesday night that he refuses to accept political action committee money as a candidate for statewide office. “I have the actual track record for fighting for clean elections,” he said.

Campaign finance reform, which passed in 2005, will face its first real test on the gubernatorial level in this year’s election, said Spallone. Democrat Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman, has formed an exploratory committee for his potential run for governor. Another hopeful, former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, said he will take in money privately…

Fielding questions from Chester Democrats, Spallone was asked about his stance on absentee ballots and same-day registration, to which he said he supports both because it increases voter turnout. “A lot of people get engaged in the election in the end,” he said.

His legislative record also contains a bill that he authored protecting reporters from revealing their confidential sources.

Spallone said he doesn’t expect an endorsement from current Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz because she is currently exploring a contested gubernatorial run.

According to CTNewsJunkie: Majority Leader Will Run For Statewide Office <read>

Majority Leader Denise Merrill of Mansfield said Friday that she will be officially announcing her candidacy for Secretary of the State next week.

“I’m not exploring, I’m running,” Merrill said Friday.

Merrill, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1994, entered politics through a League of Women Voters law and citizenship program, so running for Secretary of State is “going back to my roots,” she said.

Merrill also was once the vice chairwoman of the legislature’s General Administration and Elections Committee. She has also served as chairwoman of the legislature’s powerful Appropriations Committee.

We see multiple reasons why several Representatives and Senators are considering the office: 1) It is the only open constitutional office in addition to Governor.  2) It is a traditional stepping stone to higher office.  3) Perhaps some are tiring of the legislature. AND 4) A genuine interest in making a difference in the responsibilities and possibilities of the office.

See our last post for a list of references, current candidates, and those with exploratory committees.

Update: Chris Keating’s blog at the Courant: House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, Sen. Jonathan Harris Running For Secretary Of The State; To Replace Bysiewicz <read>

“Right now, it’s a game-changing time for the state of Connecticut,” Harris said in an interview. “We have our backs against the wall, and I don’t think we’re going to get a second chance. … It’s going to be a tough year for election – a volatile year. It’s a wide-open, Wild West kind of year.”

Merrill, a lawmaker since 1993, focused early in her career on many of the issues associated with the Secretary of the State’s office and served as vice chairwoman under Bysiewicz on the legislative committee that oversees campaign financing and elections.

Where have we head a reference to the Wild West before?  It was from Rep Chris Caruso describing the election system as conducted by the registrars of voters. Iin a public hearing about two years ago in Danbury:

Representative Caruso again mentioned consistency. He mentioned previous testimony that registrars say they have violated the law. He said the “wild west approach” needs to end.

Update: 12/29/2009: Interview with Senator Harris <video>

It’s about jobs and democracy

Another Candidate for Secretary of the State: Sen Jonathan Harris.  CTNewsJunkie has the story <read>

Harris, who currently co-chairs the legislature’s Public Health Committee, said in a phone interview Wednesday that he wants to be in the mix during this “game changing moment” and do for the entire state what he was able to accomplish for his constituents in Bloomfield, Farmington, Burlington, and West Hartford…

“I want to be part of the team that will rebuild a strong economy, create good jobs and change the way we’re doing business,” Harris…

Harris, who is in his legislative office five to six days a week, said he hasn’t decided yet whether he will give up his senate seat. At the moment, “I’m just exploring other opportunities,” and will make a decision about the senate seat in the future.

This brings our list up to six candidates and exploratory committees:

Candidate:  Richard Abbate (R)
Candidate:  Corey Brinson (R)
Candidate:  Gerry Garcia (D)

Exploratory: Jonathan Harris (D)
Exploratory: Kevin Roldan (D)
Exploratory: James Spallone (D)

State Elections Enforcement Commission list of candidates and committees.
Our draft list of questions we would ask candidates for Secretary of the State.
For all coverage of the 2010 race for Secretary of the State, click “2010” on our menu.

Courant: Rough Tactics In Simsbury First Selectman Race <read>

Opponent charges that Mary Glassman might run for Secretary of the State and resign in a year  if she is reelected First Selectman, this fall:

Darren Cunningham, the Republican challenger of incumbent First Selectman Mary Glassman, issued a news release Friday calling on Glassman to pledge that, if re-elected on Tuesday, she will serve out her two-year term and not run for higher statewide office.

Cunningham is calling for Glassman to make such a pledge because of an article Thursday in the online newspaper New Haven Independent. In that article, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said that he is not endorsing a local candidate for Connecticut secretary of the state because he is waiting to hear whether Glassman will be a candidate for that office.

In 2006, while much attention was paid to the Ned Lamont/Joe Lieberman Primary and U.S. Senate election, there was also a hard fought Democratic Primary for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.  John DeStefano prevailed over Dan Malloy for Governor, yet Malloy’s choice for Lieutenant Governor, Mary Glassman, prevailed and became DeStafano’s runningmate in the general election.  Although they lost, Mary Glassman gained recognition statewide.

Glassman responded during an interview Friday by saying that she was “disappointed” with Cunningham’s news release.

“I’ve worked hard for Simsbury these past two years, and I am looking forward to serving the town over the next two years,” Glassman said. “I have no plans to run for secretary of the state.”

New Haven Register: Ex-alderman eyes Bysiewicz’s post <read>

A former Democratic alderman is the first person in Connecticut to declare his candidacy for secretary of the state.

Contrary to the story, he is not “the first person”.  Looking at the SEEC site we see two others who have declared their candidacy and have been listed there for several months.  Republicans Richard Abbate and Corey Brinson.  Also on the list is Rep James Spallone’s exploratory committee which we understand is for Secretary of the State (see Update below for another exploratory candidate, Rep Kevin Roldan).

Gerry Garcia, a financial adviser, who was 9th Ward alderman from 1996 to 2001, promised to be “a new voice to speak on behalf of Connecticut voters and small businesses.”…

Garcia has promised to work to make Connecticut an early voting state, which would allow citizens to send in a paper ballot during a limited period leading up to Election Day. Ballots are now available only to those who will be out of town on Election Day.

Garcia, 38, who attended city public schools and earned his undergraduate and master’s in business from Yale University, said he would try to make voting more accessible in the state and would build on reforms instituted by Bysiewicz.

Garcia, who is of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent, headed a Puerto Rican social service organization while at Yale, as well its largest Jewish fraternity.

He worked as an assistant project director at the Anti-Defamation League in 1994. After getting his master’s degree, he moved to New York, where he was an investment banker before returning to Connecticut in 2006…

For all our coverage of the 2010 Secretary of the State race see 2010

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Update: New Haven Independent Article <read>  The Independent points out an additional exploratory campaign: <Rep. Kevin Roldan of Hartford>  So now we count three Democrats and two Republicans.

Here is Garcia’s web site: <GarciaForConnecticut.com>

(See our Editor’s Note on the 2010 race for Secretary of the State)

Over time we are developing some elections oriented questions we would ask every candidate for the office of Secretary of the State.  This is our current draft  of some open-ended, yet sometimes detailed questions, updated as of 12/22/2009:

• What qualifies you to perform the duties of Secretary of the State including the roles of Chief Elections Official, recording, and reporting?
• What specific experience do you have with election laws, voter registration, and election management?  Have you served as an election official?  Do you have relevant experience leading a staff of professionals?
• What changes in Connecticut and National election laws would you work for as Secretary of the State?
• What changes would you make in the operations of the Secretary of the State’s office, the conduct of elections, the training of election officials, and the supervision of election officials? The Secretary of the State’s web site?
• What changes would you make on your own initiative in your first 100 days and beyond?
• What is your view of the current state of election integrity in Connecticut?  Comment specifically on the results of the post-election audits, UConn memory card audits, the chain-of-custody of ballots, the certification of election results,and the state’s dependence on Diebold and LHS Associates.
• Would you support in-state programming of memory cards and the independent testing of all memory cards prior to each election using the existing UConn developed, state funded testing system?
• Which current and past Secretaries of State and laws in other states are worth emulating in Connecticut?  Why?
• In each of the last three years, several Democrats in the Connecticut Legislature have proposed implementing the National Popular Vote by interstate compact.  Democrats opposed to the Compact include Secretary Bysiewicz and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.  What is your position on the National Popular Vote Compact?
• IRV or Instant Runoff Voting has been broached in the Legislature and is under consideration in one Connecticut town for local elections.  National experience has been mixed with a huge controversy in Aspen, CO and outright repeal in Burlington, VT.  Can you explain IRV?  Would you support it for Connecticut towns and statewide?
• Connecticut and New York are possibly the only states retaining a, so called, Partisan  Ballot.  Can you describe the difference between a partisan and a non-partisan ballot?  Would you support a non-partisan ballot for Connecticut?
• We here a lot about increasing turn out, by making it more convenient to vote.  How would you increase turn out by making elections more competitive in Connecticut?  For instance, would you change any ballot access requirements for candidates?
• Our election laws are antiquated, complex and confusing. For instance, the way paper ballots are preserved are described differently for different election types, for absentee vs. scanned ballots, vs. all paper elections. States differ in many regards on the sequence of election events and the timing of certification, recanvasses, and audits.  For instance we do recanvasses in five days and start audits 15 days after the election, while Minnesota does audits in five days and starts recounts fourteen days after the election. Would you support a review of all our election laws to consider the best practices of other states in light of our change to optical scanners?
• Good government groups recommend post-election audits independent from the Secretary of the State.  Would you support legislation for audits independent of the Secretary of the State?  Would you support requiring supervision of counting by officials independent of the same local officials that conducted the local election?  Would you support State reimbursement of towns for post-election audit expenses?
• Registrars complain of the expense and difficulty in setting up the IVS system for persons with disabilities, while few voters use the IVS which at most only accommodates voters who are blind.  What would you do?
• The Secretary of the State’s web site is consistently rated as one of the least useful when compared to other states.  Would you support the posting of all election results by district for each contest, separated by optical scanned votes, absentee votes, manually counted votes, and provisional ballots along with the posting of copies of district Moderators’ Returns and optical scanner tapes?  What other improvements would you make to the Secretary of the State’s web site to facilitate the voting process?
• In the majority of Connecticut municipalities either Registrar has access to a single key allowing access to voted ballots, in many towns anyone in the registrars’ office has access to the key.  Would you support legislation to require dual locks and two opposing election officials required to be present for all access  to ballots, with such access controlled and recorded by the municipal clerk?
• Registrars complain that the advice given by the Secretary of the State’s Office often depends on who responds to your question and on what day.  Would you implement a system of tracking questions and responses to election official, candidate, and citizen questions?
• President Obama has characterized cyber security as “one of the most serious … security challenges of the 21st century” yet, Congress passed and the President signed the MOVE Act providing support for pilot programs for Internet voting for Military and Overseas voters.  Do you favor or oppose the submission of votes via the Internet, email or fax?
• The state saved money and apparently increased citizen service by consolidating the Probate Court.  Most states beyond New England have either elected or civil service professional election officials conducting elections by county.  Would you support a complete review of the organization of our elections, with an eye to adopting some type of regional system consolidating the current 339+ registrars of voters in Connecticut?

Sunday morning, Secretary of the State Candidate Corey Brinson was interview by Dennis House on Face The State at WFSB.  <vodeo> (This post has been extended and corrected from an earlier version created before the video was available)

Note:  This is our 1st commentary on the Secretary of The State’s race in the 2010 election.  We intend to provide comprehensive coverage of the race, highlighting news reports, interviews and issues, yet sticking primarily to comments on election integrity. <see editor’s note>

From Dennis House’s bio at WFSB,

“Face The State” host Dennis House is a native New Englander and a resident of Connecticut since 1992. He thrives on grilling newsmakers on the venerable news program, which debuted on Channel 3 in the 1960s. His goal is to bring the politicians and public figures closer to Channel 3 viewers.

From Corey Brinson’s website:

I am running in this race because more people in our State will vote for the next American Idol than for the next Governor of Connecticut, and too few people are excited about seeking public office…

I am running in this race because in this recession we need to encourage business development and job growth…

I am running in this race because we are failing as a State to attract and retain our young professionals…

Interview highlights:

Mr. Brinson’s intention is to “Inspire a new wave of leaders” in Connecticut playing a role similar to Barack Obama for the Connecticut 2010 election.  To “get people excited about this campaign…bring in people who have never been a part of or never been excited of the political process”.

He is not running against Susan Bysiewicz, the current Secretary of the State:  “Susan has been a fine public servant, a great Secretary of the State”.   “The biggest opponent in this race, I will be running against myself”

His strongest stated positions are ending the business entry tax and “tax credits for young professionals” to keep them in the state.

He was inspired to run by his aunt, Hartford City Common Council Member, Veronica Airey-Wilson. (the earlier, rush version of the post had incorrectly indicated another person was his aunt)

He stated his major qualifications are as a small business owner (law practice) and the son of a small business owner (painter).

We have no comments on the substance of the interview, except that we found not much of substance covered – far from a grilling – and lacking questions related to the elections role of the Secretary of the State.   Over time we intend develop some questions we would ask every candidate for the office of Secretary of the State.

As of the latest version of the SEEC candidate listing, dated May 11, there is one other announced candidate, Republican Richard Abbate, who was the Republican candidate in 2006.  And one candidate with an exploritory committee, Democrat James Spallone, currently co-chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee.

From the Middletown Press <read>

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz intends to file the official documents to run for governor.

Bysiewicz said she is not yet certain when she will do so, but Monday she said she has received encouragement for the idea.

“I am planning on filing papers and I haven’t filed them yet, but I will be in the near future,” Bysiewicz said.

The current economic situation calls for an influx of ideas and ways to solve problems, Bysiewicz said.

“Our economy is in dire straights,” she said. “We have a desperate need for strong leadership in our state. People are looking for new leadership full of action and creative ideas full of vision.”