Back in the summer of 2022, as that campaign season’s political sparring approached its zenith, then Secretary of the State Mark Kohler created a controversial new staff position that characterized the Democrat party’s messaging at that time.
Kohler’s office branded the $120,000 job as a “cybersecurity analyst.” Colloquially, however, the role was branded “the misinformation czar” among interested residents who saw the position as a well-timed PR stunt.
In brief, the staffer’s chief responsibility was to monitor social media and flag perceived misinformation before it caught fire among our citizenries.
Now, more than two years later, and with the hype of the Russian collusion hoax in our rearview mirror, some Connecticut residents may be wondering what the person in this highly paid position is up to. We’re among them, and we’ve proposed legislation that would require the Secretary of the State’s office to report annually about the activities, cost, and benefits of this position.
During a recent public hearing, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said she didn’t think her office had referred any falsehoods since 2022. In nearly three years, no misinformation has come up in Connecticut on social media? Not one post, not a single photo that was altered? It strains credibility. And it also seems like a waste of tax dollars, particularly when there’s so much demand for funding what most would consider core government services.
Without the information, it’s hard to form a concrete opinion.
With that said, we’re predisposed to thinking that agencies with a hand in running or policing our elections should focus on the basics—process and security—rather than analyzing online speech.
Of course, we’ve seen grave problems within our absentee ballot process: Hello, Bridgeport. And keep in mind, Governor Lamont’s recently released budget proposal cut funding for elections monitors tasked with watching out for voting fraud in Bridgeport, so how seriously is the administration really taking the integrity of our elections?
Early voting, as popular as it was last fall, posed headaches for volunteer poll workers as well as candidates and citizens who had to wait too long for their results. It’s costly, too.
And recently, a new allegation of brazen voter fraud popped in Torrington. A state employee with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services allegedly changed voter registration cards taken during a voter registration event held at the Western Connecticut Mental Health Network. “Republican” or “no” party registrations became “Democrat.”
This year, we’ve offered a variety of proposals to address fraud-related issues, such as mandatory jail time for criminal elections violations and mandatory voter ID at the polls.
Make no mistake, we’ve got bad actors who exploit the nuts-and-bolts components of our elections that are often decided by just a handful of votes.
Paying someone to focus largely on memes, trends, and conspiracies?
Again, we need to be convinced.
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora represents the 86th Assembly District serving residents of North Branford, Durham, East Haven, and Guilford
State Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, House Ranking Member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, represents the 80th District serving residents of Wolcott and Southington