A former Democratic state senator in Connecticut has been arrested after a voter accused him of opening her completed absentee ballot and directing her to switch her vote to his brother.
Dennis A. Bradley Jr., a former Bridgeport lawmaker, was taken into custody Tuesday on four state election-related charges.
The allegation is blunt: a voter says Bradley came into her apartment, opened a ballot she had already filled out, and showed her how to change her choice in a Democratic primary.
Her original vote was for incumbent probate judge Paul Ganim.
The requested replacement was Mark Bradley — Dennis Bradley’s brother.
BREAKING: Former CT Democratic State Senator Dennis Bradley has been arrested on four criminal charges over alleged absentee ballot violations. A voter reported that he opened her completed ballot at her apartment and pressured her into changing her vote. "I felt intimidated,"… pic.twitter.com/9HsTLdH3bo
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) October 7, 2026
What prosecutors say happened
The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice says the complaint traces back to August 5, six days before Bridgeport’s Democratic primary.
The voter first contacted Bridgeport police, then filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission the next day. According to prosecutors, she said a man she knew as Dennis Bradley entered her apartment, opened her previously executed absentee ballot, and instructed her on changing the vote from Ganim to Mark Bradley.
State election officials referred the matter to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for further investigation.
Inspectors with the Statewide Prosecution Bureau arrested Bradley on two counts of illegal possession of absentee ballots and envelopes. He also faces one count of being present when an absentee-ballot applicant executes a ballot and one additional absentee-ballot charge.
The August 11 primary included the Democratic nomination for Bridgeport probate judge. Paul Ganim, the incumbent, faced Mark Bradley in that contest.
“…alleging that Dennis Bradley came to her apartment, opened her previously executed absentee ballot, and instructed her how to change her vote from Ganim to Mark Bradley.”https://t.co/nDDgGZW7Ph
— JW Wharton (@PreppyProf) October 7, 2026
The defense is pushing back
News 12 Connecticut reported that Bradley’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, disputed the public account and argued that the full video has not yet been released. Crosland said the footage shown in news reports had been edited and that the defense expects a clearer picture after receiving discovery.
Crosland described Bridgeport politics as a “bloodsport” and called the allegations “paper thin.” He also argued that voters have a right to change their ballots and choose any candidate they want.
The legal question is bigger than whether a voter can reconsider a choice. Prosecutors allege that Bradley unlawfully possessed and opened a completed absentee ballot while directing the voter toward his own brother, conduct they say violated multiple sections of Connecticut election law.
Bradley was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on October 21. News 12 also noted that the new state case is separate from his earlier federal campaign-fraud prosecution.
The new charges are accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove them in court.
A second election case is already hanging over him
The latest arrest lands while Bradley is awaiting sentencing in a separate federal case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced in March that a federal jury convicted Bradley of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud tied to his 2018 state Senate campaign.
Federal prosecutors said Bradley and others disguised a campaign launch at a Bridgeport restaurant as a law-firm thank-you party, hid more than $7,000 in personal spending, and altered contribution records before obtaining $84,140 in public campaign funds.
Bradley won the 2018 Democratic primary and general election. The federal jury’s verdict came in March 2026, and that matter is separate from the new state absentee-ballot charges.
The allegation reaches far beyond a technical filing dispute.
A voter says a political figure opened her completed ballot inside her home and steered her toward his brother. State prosecutors believe that allegation supports four criminal counts.
Now a court will decide what the evidence actually proves.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
The post JUST IN: Former Democrat State Senator Arrested After Voter Says He Opened Her Ballot And Told Her To Switch It appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.
Continue reading...
[H/T 100PercentFedUp]
