A recent complaint sent to Connecticut’s State Elections Enforcement Commission alleges that Bridgeport city councilman Alfredo Castillo convinced a non-U.S. citizen, Arianna Hernandez, to illegally register to vote in the 2023 Democratic primary and had her apply for an absentee ballot that he cast on her behalf. Castillo, along with Wanda Geter-Pataky, is accused of helping Hernandez through the process, despite her not being eligible to vote. This complaint is part of a larger investigation into potential criminal wrongdoing in Bridgeport’s 2023 primary, which included allegations of absentee ballot fraud.
These allegations, if proven true, could add to existing concerns about noncitizens voting in elections. However, investigations in other states have found such cases to be rare and not impactful enough to sway election results. The complaint against Castillo and Geter-Pataky will now be looked into by the State Elections Enforcement Commission.
In response to these allegations, Republican lawmakers in Connecticut are pushing for reform in the absentee voting process to prevent such manipulation of vulnerable voters by candidates or campaigns. These calls for change come amid ongoing election-related fraud cases in Bridgeport, a city with a history of election scandals. This latest case involving Castillo and Geter-Pataky will now be investigated, with potential criminal charges pending depending on the outcome of the investigation.
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