Short Excerpt from CHAPTER SEVEN
Election Fraud and Southern West Virginia
West Virginia has certainly had its share of corrupt elected officials; southern West Virginia, however, has had more than its share. In fact, between 1984 to 1991, more than seventy-five public officials in southern West Virginia were convicted of corruption offenses involving a variety of crimes such as extortion, fraud, arson, drugs, tax evasion, and seemingly countless other illegal activities. During that period, six sheriffs, eleven deputy sheriffs, three county commissioners, eight police officers, three mayors, two members of county school boards, two county prosecuting attorneys, four members of the West Virginia Legislature (including two senate presidents), four lobbyists, three housing officials, a former governor of the state, and a multitude of other public officials and related persons [were] convicted for abusing the trust of their office. One of the most common West Virginia election problems is vote-buying. The Charleston Daily Mail says that vote-buying is “a seasonal business, if you will–an economic opportunity that comes around every four years and puts a little zip in the local economy.” Put another way, a separate Daily Mail editorial asserts, “Election fraud in the counties south of U.S. 60 is part and parcel of West Virginia history. There is no way of knowing to what extent vote-buying has shaped the State’s–indeed, the nation’s–political leadership.”To read Chapter Seven in its entirety, get your copy of "Don't Buy Another Vote. I Won't Pay for a Landslide." today!
