Rep. Mastrofrancesco, GOP Leaders Prompt Action to Secure CT Elections

HARTFORD – Government Administration and Elections Committee Ranking Members State Sen. Rob Sampson and State Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, joined by State Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding, continued their push for measures to secure Connecticut’s elections and prevent further voter disenfranchisement in the state.

During a Monday press conference in Hartford, the lawmakers re-introduced proposals to:

• Prevent the mailing of unsolicited absentee ballot applications
• Update voter rolls and perform voter roll audits
• Require copy of a driver’s license or photo ID in Absentee Ballot envelopes; provide free photo IDs for those unable to afford one; understanding that photocopying may be a challenge, direct state’s public libraries to provide a free photocopy, reimbursable by the state.
• Impose a mandatory one-year prison sentence for those found guilty of election fraud, including absentee ballot fraud (S.B. 390)
• Put a temporary hold on the use of ballot drop boxes while further safeguards are investigated

“We have repeatedly asked: How many times must violations and fraud occur before the Democrat majority joins us in taking significant steps to deter bad actor from tampering with our elections?” Rep. Mastrofrancesco said. “Laws to safeguard our elections must be thorough and address the root causes of the undeniable fraud we’ve seen in Connecticut. These proposals do that.”

“We are here to send a simple, direct message to Connecticut voters: Don’t be fooled,” Sen. Harding said. “The world is watching Connecticut after those embarrassing Bridgeport ballot stuffing videos went viral. Don’t be fooled by those who say that the Bridgeport ballot stuffing is being addressed. Don’t be fooled by those who say the legislature is getting to the root of the ballot fraud problems in Bridgeport and elsewhere. Don’t be fooled by Democrats who say election reform and election integrity is their top priority.

“Because clearly it isn’t. Democrats repeatedly voted against election integrity policies in committee. The ballot stuffing will continue. The voter fraud will continue. Why? Because the current system works for the majority party. We look forward to bringing forth our solutions on the floors of the House and Senate. We look forward to key votes on real, achievable, common sense election reforms to deter future Bridgeport fiascos.”

Most recently, Senate Republicans offered five similar commonsense measures to secure Connecticut’s elections in the Sept. 26, 2023 Special Session. These measures were voted down as a bloc by legislative Democrats.