Few places in the US know rigged elections like West Virginia.

In company towns during the industrial period , mine guards often filled out ballots for miners and their families, ensuring a pro-coal victory. This practice was common into the 1930s. 1/

When elections could no longer be rigged in this way, it was common for dead people to vote. Mingo, McDowell, and Logan counties were notorious for this method. 2/

This practice hasn’t been dead for long (haha). When Blair Mountain was delisted from the National Register, coal companies submitted an landowner objector’s list with signatures of dead people. In this case, they were caught. 3/

But the tried and true method has always been good old fashioned vote buying. Or “whiskey and a 20” as the local lingo goes. 4/

Rigging elections during the counting process is extremely difficult to get away with in the internet age because dead people can’t vote so easily now. Easier to pay folks and use County operatives to take them to the polls 5/

Between 1984 and 1992 about 80 WV politicians were convicted of election rigging crimes, most in the coalfields, including Earl Tomblin, father of former Governor Earl Ray. Tomblin rigged a Logan County sheriff election. 6/

In 2005, Lincoln County politician Greg Stowers was convicted of conspiracy to buy votes in every election from 1990 to 2004. Stowers and his operative would meet in a barn the night before elections, distribute funds, & get to vote buying. 7/

It is rumored that vote buying has been done in the form of pain pills, though I have seen no evidence to support the claims.

It must be understood that vote buying in WV has mostly been about state, not federal, elections. 8/

Everyone who grew up in WV is well familiar with rigged local elections. That’s why, when Trump gets in front of a camera and claims that the system is rigged it’s an easy sell in WV, because for much of our state’s history, that has been the truth. END/

Quiz tomorrow.