Category: CT

Farrell and Brinson visiting town committees. Abbate dropping out?

The article is focused on the Farrell campaign and a comparison with Brinson campaign, but possibly the most significant news is that according to the party chair, Richard Abbate is not going to continue as a candidate.

Record Journal:  Farrell campaign is putting family first <read>

The article is focused on the Farrell campaign and a comparison with Brinson campaign, but possibly the most significant news is that according to the party chair, Richard Abbate is not going to continue as a candidate:

In addition to Farrell, only Corey Brinson, a Hartford attorney, has filed to officially seek the party’s nomination, according to Republican State Chairman Chris Healy. Richard Abbate, a Cheshire resident who has previously been linked to a possible run, told him that he does not intend to seek the nomination, Healy said.

With a long head start has visited more of the state, yet Farrell is quickly catching up in contributions:

Brinson, who officially announced his candidacy in June 2009, does appear to have the edge on Farrell in number of town committees visited so far. Brinson said he has visited about 45 town committees as opposed Farrell’s eight and that he was confident he would secure the party’s nomination.

“My competition got into the race a few weeks ago; we’ve been in the race since last summer,” Brinson said. “We’re being well received as we travel across Connecticut.”

The two are about neck and neck in campaign fundraising, however. Both have pledged to use the public campaign financing program, with Brinson saying his campaign has taken in about $15,000 thus far, while Farrell said his team has helped him haul in just over $16,000. They each must raise $75,000 to qualify for a grant of $375,000 through the program.

A federal judge ruled Connecticut’s public campaign finance system unconstitutional last August, a decision that the state has since appealed, leaving some uncertainty as to whether that avenue will even be available for candidates this year.

Denise Merrill formally enters SOTS race

“With more and more money pouring into politics as it will this year with the recent Supreme Court case it will be increasingly important to protect our electoral process from the potential influence of that money”

CT NewsJunkie has the story: Merrill: ‘Moving on and Moving Up’ <read>

“It’s time for me to move on and move up,” Merrill said Monday at the Mansfield Community Center.

She said people have asked her why she wants to be Secretary of the State when she already holds the second most powerful position in the House of Representatives.

“I have always been passionate about civic engagement,” Merrill said. “There is no more important role that any public official can play than to actively engage the next generation of citizens.”…

If elected Secretary of the State Merrill said civic engagement will be a fundamental part of her role as the state‘s chief elections official.

“With more and more money pouring into politics as it will this year with the recent Supreme Court case it will be increasingly important to protect our electoral process from the potential influence of that money,” Merrill said.

Here is her website we note that the News section as of now has not been updated with items after December 19th and apparently it has no information announcing or covering today’s event.

Update: From the Courant:

Legislature’s Denise Merrill Enters Race For Secretary Of The State <read>

Merrill has promoted efforts to increase the efficiency of state government and said that, if elected, she would use the office of secretary of the state to continue those efforts. Among other things, Merrill said she would redesign the state’s registration to enable businesses of all sizes to submit required forms and applications online.

“I would do a lot more with online registration for just about everything,” she said. “We are way behind other states in that area.”

We agree that the Secretary of the State’s web site could be improved dramatically.  We aren’t familiar with the business registration process, but we certainly have a long way to go in improving election information.  On the election side we would start with having accurate, downloadable, and detailed district by district election results.  Connecticut did not come out well on the Pew study last year where we came in 48th.

Democracy Too Costly for Seymour?

Primaries would run the office an estimated $15,000 each. While primaries are likely to occur, no one’s certain at this point. “I don’t know what I’m going to do in August and that is the key,” said Ron Skurat, the Democratic Registar of Voters… Skurat did the math on the salaries and came up with roughly $6.81 per hour for the work he and Pelletier put in.

Valley Independent Sentinel:  More Voting, More Money <read>

Democracy. We love it, but man, that stuff’s expensive.

With both Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Sen. Christopher Dodd stepping down, voting registrars in town expect to hold primaries for both major political parties this year.

That means more money in the budget that hasn’t much to begin with.

Primaries would run the office an estimated $15,000 each. While primaries are likely to occur, no one’s certain at this point.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do in August and that is the key,” said Ron Skurat, the Democratic Registar of Voters.

Skurat made his statement during a review of the registrars’ proposed 2010-2011 budget in front of the town’s Board of Finance Monday.

The registrars’ budget proposal climbs to $86,100 — up $20,200 from its current spending plan.

The majority of increases are to salaries and stipends…

Just because it is in here it doesn’t mean you get the raise,” said Paecht to Skurat and Republican Registrar Judy Pelletier.

Skurat did the math on the salaries and came up with roughly $6.81 per hour for the work he and Pelletier put in.

Their assistant, a part-time position described by Skurat as invaluable, makes the equivalent of less than $8 an hour.

Poll workers earn $8.50 per hour plus two meals.

State mandates drive most of the department’s costs. For example there is a necessity for two phone lines at each polling place. One is used for the regular machines and one is used exclusively for a machine designed for voters with disabilities.

“We’ve used it once in the last five years but it is a state law,” Skurat said.

The cost of keeping the phone lines active and available at three polling locations adds up, with all but $10 of the operating budget’s line item already expended.

Communications and telephones were cut from $3,000 in the 2008-2009 budget to $2,000 in the operating budget…

We point out that it is not all Chris Dodd and Jodi Rell’s fault.  The odds for a Democratic Primary for Governor were pretty high before Gov. Rell stepped down.  Before Sen. Dodd stepped down there was also a large possibility for a Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate.  In addition to the usual primary in Presidential years, we recall a statewide primary four years ago between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont.  As the article notes, the budget in Seymour also involves democracy and elections:

The budget proposal notes that the department returned money to the treasury during the past two fiscal years due to an “abnormally small number of elections.”

With the likelihood of primaries this time around, the registrar’s said this is a much tougher budget. They said at least one of the elections will be the referendum to pass the budget.

Nov 09 Election Observation Report – Improvement, Yet Still Unsatisfactory

The Coalition noted significant differences between results reported by optical scanners and the hand count of ballots by election officials across Connecticut. Compared to previous audits, the Coalition noted small incremental improvements in the attention to detail, following procedures, and in the chain-of-custody.

In this report, we conclude that the November post-election audits still do not inspire confidence. We find no reason to attribute all errors to either humans or machines.

Press Release, Full Report etc: <click>

Summary, from the Press Release and Report:

Coalition Finds Unsatisfactory Improvement
In Election Audits Across The State

Citizen observation and analysis show the need for more attention to detail by officials, improvement in counting methods, and ballot chain-of-custody

The Coalition noted significant differences between results reported by optical scanners and the hand count of ballots by election officials across Connecticut. Compared to previous audits, the Coalition noted small incremental improvements in the attention to detail, following procedures, and in the chain-of-custody.

Coalition spokesperson Luther Weeks noted, “We acknowledge some improvement, yet there is still a long way to go to provide confidence in our election system that the voters of Connecticut deserve.”

From the report:

In this report, we conclude that the November post-election audits still do not inspire confidence because of the continued lack of

  • standards for determining need for further investigation of discrepancies,
  • detailed guidance for counting procedures, and
  • consistency, reliability, and transparency in the conduct of the audit. .

We find no reason to attribute all errors to either humans or machines.

Cheryl Dunson, League of Women Voters of Connecticut’s Vice President of Public Issues, stated, “We continue to support our past recommendations to the Secretary of the State and the Legislature for improvement in the post-election audit laws, counting procedures, and chain-of-custody.”

Tom Swan, Executive Director, Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said, “Among our greatest concerns are the discrepancies between machine counts and hand-counts reported to the Secretary of the State by municipalities When differences are dismissed as human counting errors, it is unlikely that an audit would identify an election error or fraud should that occur”

Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director, Connecticut Common Cause said “There needs to be training and accountability.  Election officials need to be familiar with the procedures, follow the procedures, and the procedures must be enforceable.”

Press Release, Full Report etc: <click>

Norwalk Town Clerk: Sixth Dem Running for Secretary of the State

“It is reaching out them on the electronic level,” he said. “Remind them how to vote and when to vote.”
Garfunkel often points to technological upgrades made in the Norwalk city clerk’s office since he was first elected in 2001. They include putting maps and other documents online and introducing payment by credit card. The changes have come as the office itself has seen staffing and other cuts.

The Hour: Garfunkel to run for Secretary of the State <read>

Democrat Andrew S. Garfunkel thinks 10 years as Norwalk’s town clerk make him the perfect candidate to replace Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz…

“Engaging our young voters and getting them to register and then vote on Election Day is important to me,” he said. “I will reach out to them where they are, on Facebook and those places.”

He said he wants to make the office more accessible with “alerts” and “reminders”.

“It is reaching out them on the electronic level,” he said. “Remind them how to vote and when to vote.”

Garfunkel often points to technological upgrades made in the Norwalk city clerk’s office since he was first elected in 2001. They include putting maps and other documents online and introducing payment by credit card. The changes have come as the office itself has seen staffing and other cuts.

Corey Brinson running to be “Chief Inspiration Officer”

“as the state’s Chief Elections Officer, Corey Brinson will serve as Connecticut’s “Chief Inspirational Officer,” and will inspire a new generation of leaders to run for local and state office. Corey Brinson will also work to ensure that all elections in Connecticut are clean, fair and free from partisan politics.”

Secretary of the State Candidate Corey Brinson press release <read>

In addition to ending the business entity tax, Corey Brinson will seek to attract and retain young professionals in Connecticut by creating and chairing a young professionals’ state commission that will advocate for young professionals throughout Connecticut. “If we can have generous tax credits to attract and retain the movie industry in Connecticut, we should also have generous tax credits to attract and retain young professionals who are Connecticut’s future tax base and leadership,” says Brinson.

What is more, as the state’s Chief Elections Officer, Corey Brinson will serve as Connecticut’s “Chief Inspirational Officer,” and will inspire a new generation of leaders to run for local and state office. Corey Brinson will also work to ensure that all elections in Connecticut are clean, fair and free from partisan politics.

Since announcing his candidacy for Secretary of the State, Brinson has been traveling throughout the state “actively” listening to residents. He has received tremendous support throughout the state from both Democrats and Republicans alike. His campaign has received over $11,000 in small contributions, which count toward his campaign public financing goal of $75,000 in campaign contributions.

We also note that Brinson has posted issues on his web site, which include several items associated with elections and voting integrity:

Elections

  • Fair, clean elections free from partisan politics
  • Inspiring more ordinary people to run for local and state office
  • Increased supervision and training of elections officials
  • Increased resources for voter registration and Election Day turnout
  • Establishing Election Day as a state holiday during even year elections
  • Modification of public finance campaign laws based on feedback from candidates
In addition to ending the business entity tax, Corey Brinson will seek to attract and retain young professionals in
Connecticut by creating and chairing a young professionals’ state commission that will advocate for young
professionals throughout Connecticut. “If we can have generous tax credits to attract and retain the movie
industry in Connecticut, we should also have generous tax credits to attract and retain young professionals who
are Connecticut’s future tax base and leadership,” says Brinson.
What is more, as the state’s Chief Elections Officer, Corey Brinson will serve as Connecticut’s “Chief
Inspirational Officer,” and will inspire a new generation of leaders to run for local and state office. Corey
Brinson will also work to ensure that all elections in Connecticut are clean, fair and free from partisan politics.
Since announcing his candidacy for Secretary of the State, Brinson has been traveling throughout the state
“actively” listening to residents. He has received tremendous support throughout the state from both Democrats
and Republicans alike. His campaign has received over $11,000 in small contributions, which count toward his
campaign public financing goal of $75,000 in campaign contributions.In addition to ending the business entity tax, Corey Brinson will seek to attract and retain young professionals in Connecticut by creating and chairing a young professionals’ state commission that will advocate for young professionals throughout Connecticut. “If we can have generous tax credits to attract and retain the movie industry in Connecticut, we should also have generous tax credits to attract and retain young professionals who are Connecticut’s future tax base and leadership,” says Brinson. What is more, as the state’s Chief Elections Officer, Corey Brinson will serve as Connecticut’s “Chief Inspirational Officer,” and will inspire a new generation of leaders to run for local and state office. Corey Brinson will also work to ensure that all elections in Connecticut are clean, fair and free from partisan politics. Since announcing his candidacy for Secretary of the State, Brinson has been traveling throughout the state “actively” listening to residents. He has received tremendous support throughout the state from both Democrats and Republicans alike. His campaign has received over $11,000 in small contributions, which count toward his campaign public financing goal of $75,000 in campaign contributions.

As the election year progresses, we look forward to further details from Brinson and all of the candidates for Secretary of the State.

Video: Gerry Garcia visits the Glastonbury DTC

“The Secretary of the States’ office really needs an overhaul…the website is not user friendly, its incomplete…I’m of a different generation, a generation that expects… to be able to distribute it accurately, online, in as close to realtime as a system can offer.”

Not the greatest video from my digital camera, but the sound is good.

Don’t choose me just because of my name, but see as a benefit where I come from and how that can impact on the ticket.

In response to my question about the need for more accurate, citizen verifiable election information online:

The Secretary of the States’ office really needs an overhaul…the website is not user friendly, its incomplete…I’m of a different generation, a generation that expects… to be able to distribute it accurately, online, in as close to realtime as a system can offer.

What attracted you to the office of Secretary of the State?

What excites me…I am actually passionate about giving voice…I what is not there, who is not at the table…who gets a voice and has standing is deeply personal for me…the SOTS office should be the one stop point of contact for small bussiness in Connecticut…I have no designs on any other office.

I’m the only candidate for any constitutional office, so far, to have opted in to the Citizens Elections Program…I hear a lot of people running for office talking about the program, applauding the program

New Registrar and Two Databases add to campaign dustup

Fred DeCaro III, the Republican registrar of voters, said two separate databases have been used by the town over the years to record votes and one wasn’t checked when his office received its first inquiry on McMahon in September.

CTPost Article:  All eyes on McMahon’s voting record in Greenwich <read>

Linda McMahon’s campaign says it has new evidence debunking a claim by chief GOP Senate rival Rob Simmons that she has only showed up to vote in two elections in her hometown of Greenwich.

The campaign furnished Greenwich Time Monday with a letter from the assistant Republican registrar of voters vouching that McMahon voted in the November elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009…

“Rob Simmons allowed his campaign to peddle false and misleading attacks against Linda even after they knew their claims were false,” said Ed Patru, a spokesman for McMahon. “That’s a commentary on his character, it undermines a core line of attack he’s been using against Linda, and it damages his credibility.”…

A Sept. 23 letter from the same deputy registrar, Ruby Durant, was the basis for the campaign’s earlier claims that McMahon had only voted in the 2002 and 2008 general elections, according to Shah…

Fred DeCaro III, the Republican registrar of voters, said two separate databases have been used by the town over the years to record votes and one wasn’t checked when his office received its first inquiry on McMahon in September.

“I’m confident that at the very least she voted the number of times in (the Dec. 22) letter,” said DeCaro, who has only been in office for a year. “Obviously, it’s important, and we want to make sure we have the right information.”

We note with interest the overlap of the dates that the original list was 2002 and 2008 while the second list was 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009.  We would normally expect the shorter  list to have come from one database of the two and that it would have included only the earliest or the latest dates.  Could they have alternated databases rather than replacing one with the other?

Third Republican Candidate For SOTS?

Farrell has scheduled a press conference, 3 p.m., Jan. 19 at Component Engineers in Wallingford, to officially announce what position he will seek, but a number of sources, both locally and statewide, hinted Wednesday that he would announce a run at the position of Secretary of the State.

Meriden Record Journal: Farrell likely to seek Secretary of the State position <read>

Jerry Farrell Jr. seems to have received the support of his fellow Republicans, both locally and on the state level, as he makes his first push for a statewide elected position.

Farrell, who has served as a Republican member of the Wallingford Town Council since 1995 and was appointed commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection by Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 2006, announced Tuesday that he intends to run for a statewide office this November, but would not say which one.

Farrell has scheduled a press conference, 3 p.m., Jan. 19 at Component Engineers in Wallingford, to officially announce what position he will seek, but a number of sources, both locally and statewide, hinted Wednesday that he would announce a run at the position of Secretary of the State.

HatCityBLOG: Sen Merrill makes her case for SOTS

Video as Denise Merrill makes her case to the Danbury Democratic Town Committee for Secretary of the State

Video as Denise Merrill makes her case to the Danbury Democratic Town Committee for Secretary of the State <video>

Some of Rep Merrill’s statements: Would ask registrars, towns, and cities what they think would work.  So far, the State is not good at information technology.  Would help make democracy work for everybody.  Would listen to people about what works and dosen’t work.

Merrill was introduced by Rep Godfrey who supports her and whose name has come up on CTVotersCount previously, related to voting integrity:  <Here> <Here>