Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas Condemns Reckless Voter-Fraud Claims That Falsely Targeted an Innocent Connecticut Woman

Stamford defendant has never been registered to vote in Connecticut; voter record circulated publicly belongs to a different person

(Hartford, Connecticut) – Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas today condemned the reckless spread of false election claims that led to an innocent New Britain woman being publicly misidentified as an undocumented immigrant, falsely connected to a fatal crash, and wrongly accused of illegally registering to vote. The incident, she said, is a stark example of how misinformation surrounding immigration and elections undermines public trust by encouraging people to accept accusations before facts.

"This should alarm everyone, regardless of political party," Secretary Thomas said. "An innocent Connecticut woman was publicly accused of causing a fatal crash she had nothing to do with and of committing voter fraud she never committed — not because anyone established the facts, but because too many people were willing to accept a Facebook post narrative before verifying the evidence. A screenshot is not proof. A matching name is not an investigation. And misinformation does not become responsible because it is repeated by an elected official, circulated on social media, or printed in a newspaper."

"Every false accusation about our voter rolls chips away at public confidence in elections, making it harder for Connecticut residents to distinguish fact from fiction. That’s exactly why elections officials insist on evidence, verification, and due process, and not assumptions driven by headlines or politics."

The facts in this case have been proven and are unequivocal: Melissa Esperanza Ramirez of Stamford, the defendant charged in connection with the July 13 crash that killed an off-duty Bridgeport police officer and his passenger is not, and has never been, registered to vote in Connecticut.

The voter registration record circulating online belongs to a different person: a United States citizen from New Britain who is legally registered to vote in Connecticut. Danbury police have publicly confirmed that she was mistakenly identified and has no connection to the criminal case.

Despite this, screenshots of her voter registration record were altered or presented in a way that falsely suggested they belong to the Stamford defendant. The misinformation was then amplified online and repeated by elected officials and news organizations before the central claim — that the defendant was the registered voter — had been proven.

"In this age of artificial intelligence, a screenshot is not proof," Secretary Thomas said. "This is what election misinformation looks like in real life. An innocent Connecticut resident had her name, her personal information, and her reputation thrust into the center of a national political debate because too many people were more interested in confirming a narrative than verifying the facts."

The Secretary of the State’s Office reviewed Connecticut’s statewide voter-registration system using all identifying information available to the office. The review confirmed that the Stamford defendant has never been registered to vote in Connecticut.

"Public officials have every right to ask hard questions about our elections. Journalists should scrutinize government. We expect that, and Connecticut is better for it," Secretary Thomas said. "But asking questions is different from making accusations. Verification comes first. You cannot skip the fact-finding process, make a reckless allegation, and call it oversight."

Secretary Thomas noted that several elected officials questioned Connecticut’s voter rolls without first contacting the Secretary of the State’s Office.

"They did not ask us a question before announcing an answer," Secretary Thomas said. "Had they contacted our office, we would have told them immediately that the Stamford defendant has never been registered to vote in Connecticut and that the record being circulated belonged to someone else entirely."

She also criticized the decision by some media outlets to prominently report the allegation while acknowledging that the key fact — whether the defendant and the registered voter were the same person — had not been verified.

Before publication, the Office of the Secretary of the State told the newspaper that the available information did not support the claim that the Stamford defendant was the registered voter or that she had ever been registered to vote in Connecticut.

The story nevertheless gave prominent attention to the voter-fraud allegation while acknowledging it had not established whether the Stamford defendant and the New Britain voter were the same person.

Secretary Thomas called on every elected official, media outlet, organization and online account that shared or amplified the false claim to publicly correct the record, remove the innocent woman’s personal information from circulation where possible, and state clearly that the Stamford defendant has never been registered to vote in Connecticut.

"We can’t express it loudly and then correct it quietly," Secretary Thomas added. "If you helped amplify this information, you have the responsibility to correct it with the same visibility and urgency.

"The deaths of those involved in this case are a tragedy, and our hearts remain with everyone who loved them," said Secretary Thomas. "That tragedy deserves truth. And the innocent woman whose life was upended by these false accusations deserves nothing less than a full and public correction."

###

Contact: Matthew Clyburn
Matthew.Clyburn@CT.gov
(959) 274-6725