Democratic operatives accused of Connecticut ballot tampering must take plea deal or face trial

By Kaelan Deese

Published July 30, 2026 1:02pm ET | Updated July 30, 2026 1:02pm ET

Democratic operatives accused of Connecticut ballot tampering must take plea deal or face trial — FILE - Wanda Geter-Pataky reacts as she watches video of herself placing absentee ballots into election drop boxes, during Bridgeport Democratic Primary Mayoral candidate John Gomes' challenge of absentee ballots in Superior Court in Bridgeport, Conn., Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Brian A. Pounds/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool)

An absentee ballot scandal in Bridgeport, Connecticut, already forced the state’s largest city to throw out a Democratic mayoral primary and hold it again.

Now, a local judge is forcing two Democratic operatives at the center of the case to plead guilty or risk facing a jury trial. Former local Democratic Party official Wanda Geter-Pataky and Democratic city Councilman Alfredo Castillo have until Aug. 25 to accept plea agreements, and they face more than 100 charges combined over Bridgeport’s 2019 and 2023 mayoral primaries.