SEEC Finds Lack of Jurisdiction for BOE Election

Six months after initiating an investigation into resident complaints regarding reported irregularities during the Town Meeting Election of a representative to the Region 20 Board of Education, last June, the State Elections Enforcement Commission has issued its conclusion: “…this vote was not an election pursuant to General Statutes Title 9.”

The Commission’s ruling went on to explain that under election definitions contained in the statute, an election must use voting tabulators or ballots on which candidates’ names are printed. The Board of Education vote used blank pieces of paper, forming the foundation for their conclusion that it was not an election as defined by state statute.

It was further concluded that “the mechanism by which this vote occurred was a town meeting; held pursuant to town ordinance and General Statutes Title 7, concerning Town Meetings.”

Since the Commission’s authorities are limited by the language of Title 9, the Commission accordingly determined “that it does not have jurisdiction over the June 17, 2024 town meeting board of education vote in Goshen, Connecticut.”

The reported irregularities, which included the improper denial of ballots to eligible voters, are therefore left unaddressed by the commission. As Goshen has no Town Charter and no Ethics Commission, there is no mechanism for oversight of Town Meeting elections, and the available recourse for complainants is in the courts, a costly option that is unlikely to be exercised by ordinary townspeople. A potential remedy for future elections, as discussed with an attorney at SEEC,  would be to hold votes in conjunction with other municipal elections, or by other means within the oversight authority of the SEEC.