Former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., shown in a 2009 Hearst file photo.
In an exclusive interview with Hearst Connecticut Newspapers, former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., didn’t mince his words Wednesday on widespread voting problems in Bridgeport that marred the governor’s race between Democrat Dan Malloy and Republican Tom Foley.
Shays, who called the city home when he was a member of Congress and still owns a condominium there, said it is unfathomable that local election officials ran out of ballots during the election.
“Speaking personally, given the history of voter fraud in Bridgeport, I don’t question anyone who questions whether or not this is an accident,” Shays said.
Ousted from his seat of 21 years by Greenwich Democrat Jim Himes in 2008, Shays said local election officials need to be held accountable for not ordering enough ballots to go around.
“Whoever was involved in this should step down,” Shays said. “This may have effectively altered the outcome of a gubernatorial race.”
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz declared Malloy the unofficial winner in the race Wednesday afternoon, saying that the former Stamford mayor had a 3,103 vote cushion over Foley that did not include an unspecified number of ballots from Bridgeport that had been photocopied and cast during a two-hour voting extension that was granted by a judge.
Foley disputed the results, which he said show him with a slight lead.
“I can’t for the life of me understand how Susan Bysiewicz could allow this to happen, particularly given Bridgeport’s history,” Shays said.
Shays second-guessed the decision to keep the polls open an additional two hours.
“They didn’t let the polls stay open in Darien or Shelton or New Canaan until 10 o’clock,” Shays said. “So are they documenting that two hours worth of people walked out and weren’t able to vote? Why should anyone be able to come in after 8 o’clock?”
Shays said that he is all too familiar with what he characterized as electioneering shenanigans in Bridgeport, where his campaign sought the disqualification of 600 city voters two years ago that were registered by ACORN and were brought to the attention of Bysiewicz and Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
“We weren’t even given the courtesy of a response,” Shays said.