Administrative errors by the registrars made it so that several polls couldn't open on time.
As Hartford's City Council is seeking to remove all three of its registrars because of a disastrous Election Day 2014, at least one of them -- Democrat Olga Vazquez -- is planning a strong defense.
"She does not disagree with the fact that there were some serious snafus," said Leon Rosenblatt, Vazquez's attorney. "But the registrars weren't the cause of it. And the report that was written is very one-sided and incomplete."
Rosenblatt said that a "perfect storm" caused the problems, chief among them being the "internecine warfare" between the registrars and the town clerk, and the leaderless structure of the three-headed office.
"There's nobody who's in charge," Rosenblatt said. "There are three people who are in charge. Because of that, with the problems, there was nobody who could remedy those problems effectively."
Rosenblatt said that Vazquez is planning her defense, and has no intention of resigning.
On Tuesday, the city council began the process to remove Vazquez and the two other registrars -- Republican Sheila Hall, and Urania Petit, of the Working Families Party. The move came just a few days after a investigative report of the council highlighted "multiple, serious errors" on that November day and in the days that followed.
Administrative errors by the registrars made it so that several polls couldn't open on time. In addition, after the election was done, the registrars were unable to account for 70 absentee ballots, and they're still unable to come up with a final, accurate vote tally.
Council President Shawn Wooden said all three registrars should resign.
If they don't, the council will try to remove them, Wooden said. There will be prosecutors, a hearing, and eventually, a vote.
"The facts are pretty compelling. With that said, each registrar should have an opportunity to be heard and to defend themselves," Wooden said. "So, I wouldn't call it a foregone conclusion in that sense. But I think there's a significant uphill battle, given what we know now."
If ultimately successful, it would be the first time that the city council has ever removed an elected official for cause. Wooden said he's also seeking a change in state law to allow Hartford to have just one appointed, non-partisan elections administrator.
