Following a disastrous Election Day 2014 in which voters at various city polling places were denied the right to vote, the city council is beginning the process of removing all three registrars of voters.
This comes just a few days after a investigative report of the council highlighted "multiple, serious errors" on that November day and in the days that followed. Administrative errors by the registrars made it so that several polls couldn't open on time. In addition, after the election was done, the registrars were unable to account for 70 absentee ballots, and they're still unable to come up with a final, accurate vote tally.
At a meeting of the city council's Operations, Management, Budget and Legislative Affairs Committee Tuesday, a measure was introduced that would remove all registrars from office. If ultimately successful, it would be the first time that the city council has ever removed an elected official for cause.
Here is the text of the resolution, sent by Council President Shawn Wooden:
INTRODUCED BY:???? Shawn T. Wooden, Council President?? Joel Cruz, Jr. Minority Leader Kyle Anderson, Councilman Cynthia R. Jennings, Councilwoman David McDonald, Councilman WHEREAS, The Court of Common Council (the “Council”) authorized the formation of a Committee of Inquiry (the “Committee”) to investigate impediments to casting ballots, any inaccuracies or delays in reporting of the vote count, and any other issue with regard to the City’s administration of the November 4, 2014 general election (the “Election”); and WHEREAS, The Committee completed its investigation and reported its findings on January 16, 2015; and WHEREAS, Such findings detail significant failures by the Registrars of Voters to fulfill their statutory duties in connection with the Election; and WHEREAS,, The Council believes that the conduct reported by the Committee may constitute “dereliction of official duty, or incompetence” by the Hartford Registrars of Voters (the “Registrars”) and may evidence “incapacity to perform official duties” by the Registrars, all within the meaning of Section 3 of Chapter IV of the Charter of the City of Hartford; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Court of Common Council requests that the Corporation Counsel retain Ross Garber, Esq. and the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin LLP to draft charges warranted by the information gathered by the Committee in addition to such other information that counsel deems to be appropriate, against each Registrar of Voters for consideration by the Council, all in accordance with Section 3 of Chapter IV of the Charter of the City of Hartford; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Council requests that Attorney Garber present a proposed statement of charges to the Council no later than January 30, 2015; and be it further RESOLVED, that if the Council votes to prefer charges against one or more of the Registrars, Attorney Garber and Shipman & Goodwin LLP be retained to act as prosecuting counsel in the resulting removal proceeding.
