Appy Council Voting Fraud

This sounds like the Buchanan Co. coon hound incident.

Virginia State Police are investigating allegations of voting fraud during last year's Appalachia town council election, Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Chad Dotson confirmed Monday.
State police are looking at claims that supporters of an unidentified council candidate offered food, cigarettes and liquor to residents of the Inman Village public housing complex in exchange for letting the supporters fill out their absentee voting ballots, according to a story in Sunday's Roanoke Times.
Voters in the May 2004 election returned incumbent Councilman Ben Cooper to office and chose newcomers Eddie Gollaway and Owen "Andy" Sharrett III for the three open seats on the five-member council.
Cooper, a former mayor and acting town manager, led the polling with 351 votes, followed by Gollaway with 340 and Sharrett with 312.
Falling short were longtime councilman and current Mayor Gary Bush, with 244 votes; incumbent Rick Bowman with 221 votes; and former councilman Debbie Bouton with 212 votes. Also, Ben Surber received 28 votes despite having announced that he dropped out of the race.
The Roanoke Times story reported that of 585 people who voted, 108 cast absentee ballots - an absentee rate of 18 percent, compared with a usual statewide rate of about 5 percent.
The story quotes three Inman Village residents as confirming their absentee ballots were filled out by someone other than themselves. The Roanoke Times did not identify the candidate or the candidate's supporters who allegedly bribed the residents, because so far no charges have been filed in the investigation.
Dotson Monday said the investigation is ongoing, but he hopes to receive a state police report in about two weeks. At that time, he said, he will determine if anything in the report merits the filing of criminal charges.
Dotson declined to discuss details of the investigation, but acknowledged he's heard the Inman Village allegations detailed in the Sunday article.

This is not a put down of any Appalachia resident, but it seems like their Town Council has had more than their fair share of black eyes.

Our residents are OK it is our politicians and the school board that are screwed up. I'm thinking about getting a set of taps and RE-THREADING the... well you know, of every politican involved. PS , DON"T DRINK THE WATER, FRANKS IS WORKING ON IT! [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I know the Appalachia residents are ok. I didn't mean to say otherwise. I have friends and a lot of family in Appalachia. As you said there is a problem with the politicians.

UMMM!!! I really hope that this story isn't true. I live in Appalachia and honestly I love my little town. I realize it's not perfect and there are a lot of financial issues and such but.....it is still my home.

This story is heart breaking (if true). It's sad that our "leaders" would take advantage of people in a less fortunate situation, politics or not.

Say a prayer!!!! I fear the outcome!!!!!!

No no , I didn't take it that way! [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I just thought it was about here that Carson would have started the show ('course, if I was good as Carson, I wouldn't be working underground).

Dawgs and Devils related?-ripped from todays Kpt Times Investigation of 2004 Gate City election continues
Friday, May 20, 2005

By KEVIN CASTLE
Times-News

GATE CITY - 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 ...