Seems as if Appy isn't the only area with a problem.
The investigation of last year's Gate City town election is now in its seventh month, and the special investigator assigned to the case said Thursday that time is officially not an issue.
"The investigators with the (Virginia) State Police are questioning every person who cast an absentee ballot in that election,'' said Botetourt County Commonwealth's Attorney Joel Branscom, who was assigned in November to investigate an election process that resulted in allegations of cash for votes and other violations of state election laws.
"The timetable for misdemeanor charges has already elapsed, but we are looking at possible felony charges at some point if those facts are proven, so there are no statute of limitations. I have no timetable on when I will come to a conclusion.''
Troopers assigned to Branscom from the Virginia State Police's Bureau of Criminal Investigation have been supplying him with periodic updates and portions of interviews they have conducted with absentee voters who cast ballots long before voters went to the polls on May 4, 2004.
Branscom said investigators "plan to interview every single absentee voter'' as part of the process.
"What I envision is once they finish doing the initial round of interviews ... we will get together and re-evaluate what we were going to do at that point,'' he said.
"Because of the massive amount of witnesses and potential witnesses, it's not a quick process. (The state police investigators) have gone above and beyond the call of duty of service and have not balked at all of what I have requested of them.''
Ten unqualified voters being allowed to cast ballots at Gate City Town Hall last May led a three-judge panel to throw out the election results, which had incumbent Mayor Charles Dougherty Jr. defeating challenger and Town Council member Mark Jenkins.
Since that judicial decision was handed down last September, Jenkins has been selected to serve as interim mayor until the next regular election is held in May 2006, and an interim council was appointed by the 30th Judicial District's three judges.
Also, the three members of the Scott County Electoral Board who oversaw the election resigned their posts and were replaced by members of the county's political party associations.
Members Thomas Keller and Lesley Free both cited family and business commitments as their reasons for resigning, while practicing attorney and Electoral Board Vice Chairman Sherry Wilson said she could not go along with an electoral system that refused to abide by Virginia law in her resignation tendered in October.
Before any orders were entered in court, Dougherty's attorney, Henry Keuling-Stout, filed a motion for his client asking for the election to be voided after Electoral Board officials admitted mistakes in the May election when depositions in the case were taken in Scott County Circuit Court in June.
Branscom said Thursday that "some disturbing aspects have come to light'' in terms of things related to conduct before and during the election.
"We are going to have to get to the bottom of some things,'' he said. "Everything we are doing is being done for a purpose, and I feel good about how the investigation is going.''
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