News + Press

ICYMI: CT GOP Silent as Federal Court Dismisses Trump’s Attempt to Seize Connecticut Voter Rolls

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Kari Dooley dismissed the Trump administration’s egregious attempt to force Connecticut to turn over its statewide voter registration list. 

Attorney General William Tong led the successful effort to protect Connecticut’s election systems and the private information of millions of voters from a Trump Justice Department that has introduced similar flimsy lawsuits against more than 20 states this year.

“The Constitution is clear: the President does not control our elections and has no right to manipulate Connecticut voter rolls,” Attorney General Tong said in a press release. “Connecticut follows federal law and takes its obligations under federal law very seriously. We will not be bullied into handing over sensitive voter information just because Trump demands it.”

This marks yet another battle in which Connecticut Democratic Party officials have stood on the front lines of the fight to defend the people of our state from a corrupt Trump administration – and another in which the Connecticut GOP remained silent.

"This decision is a victory for Connecticut and for the rule of law," said CT Democratic Party Chair Roberto Alves. "But this shameless attempt to disenfranchise Connecticut voters and lay the groundwork to undermine the will of the people should concern everyone. Democrats like Governor Lamont, Attorney General Tong, and Secretary Thomas will always stand up to defend our democracy, while too many Republicans choose loyalty to Donald Trump over the people they were elected to serve."

Still, it’s clear Trump and the federal government are gearing up for more antidemocratic efforts to interfere with free and fair elections – all based on Trump’s “big lie” conspiracy theories. 

Trump gave a rambling speech full of familiar lies last Thursday, trying to force passage of the anti-voting rights SAVE act. The next day, DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin demanded that states run their voter rolls through a federal database – threatening to jail election officials or withhold federal grants if they did not comply. 

Trump is even plotting to use the U.S. Postal Service to interfere with mail-in vting. 

And where are Ryan Fazio and the Connecticut GOP? Silently cheering him on.

Fazio and other Republican leaders are, as always, giving their tacit approval by remaining silent as Trump lies about the security of our elections. They refuse to call out his baseless claims, or to answer basic questions about his attempts to subvert our democracy.

This is after all, the same Ryan Fazio who voted for Trump a third time – well after he attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election on January 6th, 2021.

CT Dems spokesperson Ian Clarke:

“Character matters. Courage matters. Ryan Fazio is too weak to defend our elections, too cowardly to challenge his party, and far too small for the office of governor of Connecticut. Donald Trump is demanding Connecticut to surrender our elections to his corrupt, lawless administration – we need real leaders to rise to the occasion, and clearly the CT GOP isn’t offering any this year.”