Name: Republicans sue to block Lamont emergency COVID order permitting all-absentee ballot primary election
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Republicans sue to block Lamont emergency COVID order permitting all-absentee ballot primary election

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AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 01, 2020 at 5:51 pmFour Republican candidates for Congress are trying to block the state from implementing an emergency pandemic order by Gov. Ned Lamont that could dramatically increase the use of absentee ballots for the state’s delayed Aug. 11 primary by distributing them to any voter who claims to be worried about contracting the coronavirus at the polls.The candidates are part of a group called Fight Voter Fraud and their suit targets Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, the state’s chief election officer. The suit contends Merrill has interpreted the emergency order so broadly that the absentee ballot applications prepared by her office encourage absentee voting by everyone, putting the integrity of primary elections at risk.Advertisement“Today Fight Voter Fraud Inc. filed a lawsuit with the Connecticut Supreme Court on behalf of candidates on the August 11, 2020 ballot who wish to have a fair, honest, and constitutional election.,” the candidates said in a statement. “The lawsuit asks the Court to order (Secretary of the State) Denise Merrill to stop sending voters applications that misinform about the true legal requirements for voting by absentee ballot.”Merrill accused the Republicans of trying to reduce ballot access and jeopardizing the health of voters.Advertisement“No Connecticut voter should have to choose between their health and their right to vote,” she said. “As America comes together to battle the COVID-19 virus and to ensure voter participation in an election that will be held under difficult circumstances, this suit seeks to harm both efforts in Connecticut.”Lamont’s office declined comment.The lawsuit contends that the state Constitution strictly limits who qualifies to cast an absentee ballot and only the Legislature has the authority to amend the eligibility requirements. Lamont’s order — and Merrill’s implementation of it — are unconstitutional acts, the suit says.“Neither the Secretary of the State nor the Governor has the constitutional authority to prescribe, expand, or alter the rules governing absentee ballot voting,” the suit asserts. “There is no pandemic exception to the Connecticut Constitution. The Application for Absentee Ballot that the Secretary has prepared for the August 11, 2020 primary election should be rescinded.”As it happensGet the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut &gt; The state constitution requires in-person voting, but grants four exceptions, for voters who are away from home at the time of an election, unable to vote because of illness or physical disability or who are forbidden by their religion from secular activity on election day. The legislature created two additional exceptions for voters on active military duty and for poll workers required to be working in districts other than their own while polls are open.Primary elections in Connecticut were postponed to August in the hope that the viral spread would have slowed, making in-person voting relatively safer. But on May 20, Lamont ordered that anyone can vote absentee “for the August 11, 2020 primary election if he or she is unable to appear at his or her polling place during the hours of voting because of the sickness of COVID-19.”“For purposes of this modification, a person shall be permitted to lawfully state he or she is unable to appear at a polling place because of COVID-19 if, at the time he or she applies for or casts an absentee ballot for the August 11, 2020 primary election, there is no federally approved and widely available vaccine for prevention of COVID-19.”The absentee ballots applications Merrill prepared refer to Lamont’s pandemic order and list the six categories the Constitution and Legislature have established for eligibility. But the application puts a new category at the top of the list, “COVID -19″ and in bold type says “► All voters are able to check this box, pursuant to Executive Order 7QQ ◄”AdvertisementMerrill has mailed the ballot applications, her office said. The suit asks to have the mailing rescinded and any future mailing blocked. It also asks for a declaration that the applications interpret Lamont’s order too broadly and that only the legislature can create new categories of absentee voters.The suit was brought by first congressional district candidates Mary Fay of West Hartford and Jim Griffin of Bristol and second district candidates Tom Gilmer of Madison and Justin Anderson of Salem. They are represented by Hartford lawyer Proloy Das.State law allows candidates for federal office to file complaints of unfair electoral treatment with the Supreme Court. The case will be assigned to a single justice. Fewer than a half dozen such cases have been filed with the court. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 01, 2020 at 5:51 pmFour Republican candidates for Congress are trying to block the state from implementing an emergency pandemic order by Gov. Ned Lamont that could dramatically increase the use of absentee ballots for the state’s delayed Aug. 11 primary by distributing them to any voter who claims to be worried about contracting the coronavirus at the polls.The candidates are part of a group called Fight Voter Fraud and their suit targets Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, the state’s chief election officer. The suit contends Merrill has interpreted...

Republicans sue to block Lamont emergency COVID order permitting all-absentee ballot primary election

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