Court invalidates Tyler petition signatures over election calendar snafu. Lumaj criticizes Thomas

Superior Court Judge Stuart Rosen ruled Tuesday in a 32-page decision that the Enfield registrar of voters’ issuance of primary petitions four days before the law permits invalidates Enfield Democrat Tom Tyler’s challenge to State Representative John Santanella.

The law requires registrars to issue primary petitions for the collection of signatures from enrolled party members 77 days before the primary. This year, the primary date is August 11th. The petitions were to be made available beginning May 26th. Primary petitions were issued to Tyler on May 22nd, four days before the petition collection period began in the 58th House District, a single-town district.

Santanella challenged Tyler’s petitions on the grounds that they were improperly issued. The Court agreed. The signatures collected on petitions issued before May 26th were declared invalid, causing Tyler not to have collected and submitted the umber of signatures necessary to qualify for a primary.

Enfield has competitive elections between Republicans and Democrats. It is also notable for the intense battles that have erupt among Democrats for decades. The Democrats were at peace long enough last year to win decisive control of the town council after two years of a Republican majority.

Tyler served as the town attorney under the Republican council but was not reappointed to the position when Democrats returned to the majority in November. Santanella is one of the Democrats serving on the council.

UPDATE: Peter Lumaj, Republican nominee for Secretary of the State, has read the pleadings in the Tyler petition dispute and issued a statement:

The allegations raised in this case are deeply disturbing and deserve answers.

This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It isn’t about who wins or loses an election. It’s about whether every candidate, every election official, and every voter can trust that our elections are administered fairly and consistently.

If the allegations are true, they point to a troubling pattern of misinformation and administrative mistakes coming from the Secretary of the State’s office that undermine confidence in our elections. In this case, those alleged failures contributed to a candidate being removed from the ballot and voters losing the opportunity to choose their nominee.

As Connecticut continues implementing major changes like early voting and no-excuse absentee voting, the Secretary of the State must provide accurate guidance, consistent leadership, and accountability. The people of Connecticut deserve answers when serious questions are raised about how our elections are administered.

As Secretary of the State, I will work every day to ensure the office is fair, transparent, and competent. The office should never become part of the controversy. It should be the trusted referee that serves every voter equally, regardless of political party.

Published July 15, 2026.