HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday that alleged election fraud and questioned whether Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was qualified to appear on the ballot for Election Day.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers dismissed the case after hearing testimony from the state and a Greenwich man who bought the action.

The plaintiff, Cort Wrotnowski, challenged the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate. The lawsuit is similar to at least seven others filed in state courts across the country that cite a lack of evidence that Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.

Officials in Hawaii have said there’s no doubt the Democratic presidential candidate was born there.

Wrotnowski, who runs a health food store and is a registered Republican, represented himself in the hearing at Hartford Superior Court. He said Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has the obligation to ensure that Obama is qualified to appear on the ballot.

“It’s a fundamental point, which is this document has not been produced,” he said after the hearing. “I’m not the first, not the last, just among a growing number of people across the country who’ve become distressed about the lack of disclosure.”

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal argued on behalf of Bysiewicz and the state.

“I’m delighted that the court has soundly and quickly rejected a baseless, bogus claim that’s apparently part of a nationwide effort to confuse or derail the election,” he said.

Obama leads Republican John McCain in Connecticut and in many national polls.