CT – Exclusive: Green Party May Join in Legal Action Against Sec. of State's Major Party Propaganda Campaign

Scott Deshefy, the Green Party candidate for Congress in CT-2, has stated he is likely to ally with Daniel Reale in taking legal action against Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz. As reported at Poli-Tea on Monday, Daniel Reale, an independent candidate for Congress in CT-2, lodged a formal complaint against Bysiewicz with the Office of State Ethics, the State Elections Enforcement Commission and the Federal Election Commission.

A response to the Secretary of State's so-called "affiliate and participate" propaganda campaign, the complaint accuses Bysiewicz of using state funds and resources to boost enrollment in two specific parties, misusing public funds to influence the outcome of federal and other elections, misusing the official seal of the Secretary of State's office for this purpose, and substantially complicating the ballot access petition efforts of third party and independent candidates for office in the state.  (See TPID's interview with Reale discussing the complaint.)

Candidate Deshefy concurs with the substance of Reale's complaint. Contacted for comment via email, Deshefy stated: "I talked with Reale about this action and concur that the Secretary of State behaved capriciously, abused her office and acted preferentially towards the two corporately-funded parties, all to the detriment of other parties and candidates in CT."

Deshefy notes that Bysiewicz could have acted within the law, but over-stepped those bounds in specifically advocating that voters register with the Democratic and Republican parties. "Had she said that everyone should register to vote and not mentioned only two of the major political parties in CT (the others being Independent, Green and Libertarian), then she would have been on safe ground and doing her job. Instead, she chose to become an advocate for Republicans and Democrats, which is abuse of her office," he said.

Deshefy further intimated that the Green Party may join in the legal action, saying, "The Green Party is scrutinizing Dan's action and will likely ally with supporters of this legal action."