Cohen v. Rossi

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of relief in a challenge to the West Haven mayoral election, holding that the plaintiff did not establish substantial statutory violations that seriously undermined the reliability of the result. The court concluded that municipal clerks may use designees to retrieve absentee ballots, that fourteen same-day ballots substantially complied with endorsement requirements, and that other ballot-processing irregularities did not warrant disturbing the election. The court also declined to review additional irregularity claims because they were inadequately briefed. Justice D’Auria, concurring in part, would limit retrieval authority to the clerk and qualifying assistant clerks, while Justice Ecker, concurring in part, regarded the statute as ambiguous but agreed with the result after considering legislative history.