Undetected for Five Years: How Many Other Non-Citizens Are on CT Voting Rolls?
Recent headlines out of New Jersey revealed that a DMV system error improperly placed over 6,000 non-citizens on state voting rolls, reigniting nationwide debate over voter roll maintenance and election integrity. In Connecticut, election officials have long maintained that the state’s voter rolls are secure—frequently resisting federal oversight and dismissing concerns as hypothetical. However, recent developments in West Hartford demonstrate that the potential for non-citizens to sit on active voter lists is far from theoretical.
An Illegal Alien From Montenegro
On June 20, 2026, ICE agents arrested Sead "Seyo" Cecunjanin outside a local establishment. Cecunjanin, a West Hartford business owner, fled Montenegro in 1997. According to details released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), his presence in the United States includes a history of immigration violations:
First, DHS reports Cecunjanin entered the U.S. in March 1997 using a fraudulent Dutch passport. A federal immigration judge issued a final order of removal against him later that year.
Second, he carries a prior DUI conviction. In July 2024, he traveled to Serbia and re-entered two weeks later. Despite his active 25-year-old deportation order, he was released back into the country under federal immigration protocols.
Defended by CT Democratic Leadership
Cecunjanin’s detention sparked an immediate backlash from prominent Connecticut Democrats. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman John Larson aggressively intervened on his behalf. Blumenthal publicly slammed ICE’s actions as "cruel, unconscionable, overreaching, and inhumane," maintaining that Cecunjanin posed no flight risk or danger to the community.
Following intense political pressure and formal demands sent to Homeland Security, Cecunjanin was released from custody on July 3, 2026. Blumenthal celebrated the release, calling it "a magnificent start to the July 4th celebration" and pledging to support Cecunjanin’s effort to obtain permanent legal status.
Active Voter Registration Discovered
While federal lawmakers were defending Cecunjanin as a cornerstone of the local community, records uncovered by the West Hartford Republican Town Committee (RTC) through Freedom of Information requests revealed startling information: Sead Cecunjanin was listed as an active registered voter in Connecticut.
Voter records show a registration filed in September 2018 indicating U.S. citizenship. The entry placed him as an active, unaffiliated voter assigned to poll at King Philip Middle School in West Hartford—a status that remained active from 2018 through at least 2023.
When questioned by investigative reporters, Cecunjanin denied intentionally registering to vote, asserting he knew non-citizens cannot vote and highlighting clerical misspellings on the file ("Sead Cecjhaniw"). While state records show no evidence that a ballot was ever cast under the name, the paper trail exposes a glaring system vulnerability: whether via automated DMV registration workflows or application errors, a non-citizen facing a final removal order remained on an active town voter list for years undetected.
Between the Lines: Connecticut state officials continue to insist that non-citizen registration is a non-issue and that existing safeguards are sufficient. But if a non-citizen with a 25-year-old deportation order can sit on West Hartford's active voter rolls for five years unnoticed, it begs an obvious question: What else will come to light if Connecticut’s voter rolls are subjected to a full, independent audit?