Election Appeal
Some voters given wrong ballots in Stratford race
The state Supreme Court agrees to hear an appeal of the Stratford legislative race that remains undecided.
A state legislative race remained undecided Friday as the State Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in a nail-biter election that went to a recount.
State Rep. Phil Young, a Stratford Democrat, won by 13 votes in a recount over Republican Jim Feehan. But the battle ended up in court after at least 75 voters were given the wrong ballots — and therefore incorrectly cast votes in another race instead of the 120th District.
Republicans have been seeking a new, special election to decide the outcome, but Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis did not grant t hat request. Instead, she approved a Republican request for a temporary restraining order that blocks Secretary of the State Denise Merrill from declaring a winner in the race.
The Supreme Court will now decide whether to order a new election or send the case to a four-member panel
in the state House of Representatives. Oral arguments are scheduled for Dec. 21 in Hartford.
Young initially won election to the seat in a special election in February after the previous Republican representative stepped down after being elected as Stratford’s mayor. Republicans had held the seat for 44 years — dating to the administration of President Richard M. Nixon.
While Republicans have been pushing for a new election, Democrats say the issue should be decided by a fourmember committee in the House.
Republicans have been pleased that a Superior Court judge ordered that no official winner could be declared in the race — keeping the election in limbo.
Young said that he remains as the state representative in the district and is preparing for the next legislative session that begins on Jan. 9.
Young is calling for a new election only for those Stratford residents who vote at Bunnell High School, where the wrong ballots were distributed to voters. He said the election results from Nov. 6 in the other seven polling places in town should remain in effect, and then the new totals from the Bunnell district would be added for the final count.