Election Day is less than a week away and city leaders in New Haven have concerns over a suspicious amount of absentee ballots submitted for the race. “I’ve gotten a complaint from an individual that the person has been receiving these ballots in their hands and taking them to the mailbox, to the post office, you can’t do that. That’s against the law,” said Ron Smith, City Clerk, New Haven. New Haven’s City Clerk Ron Smith says there’s been a drastic increase in the number of absentee ballot requests and returns for Ward 8, more than ever before. He says that number is alarming and the common denominators are the ballots were mailed out the same day in blocks from the same address. “We know ballots when they come in, and sometimes they come in a little late but they don’t come in all at one time from one street,” said Smith.
According to the city clerk’s office, in October, 181 absentee ballots were mailed out, 88 were mailed back. Smith says the number is unprecedented. “We looked at the date it was issued and the date that it was coming back, a lot of them are coming back at the same time in bunches and that usually don’t happen in this office,” said Smith.
Just as fast as the ballots poured in to the City Clerks office, so did the affidavits from concerned residents saying they were victims of ballot fraud. “We have eleven complaints right here, that they have handed back that ballot to an individual and you can’t do that,” said Smith.
Full Article: Voter fraud scandal in New Haven | WTNH.com Connecticut.