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Dodge County, Georgia is a county situated in the heart of Georgia. The county seat of Dodge County is Eastman. For decades, it was rumored that Dodge County had severely scandalous politicians. Due to the fact that vote buying was a known rural tradition, the situation stayed relatively low-key until the 1990s. Vote buying has been known to happen in obvious ways, but few situations have ever been as blatant as incidences in Dodge County. There were several stories of individuals selling votes in public places such as the Dodge County Courthouse. This is a practice that would be inconceivable to most Americans. However, this had become everyday life for the voters and politicians in the rural south Georgia area.
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There were many different forms of voter fraud that were intertwined with the actual buying of votes that was taking place. There were several claims of convicted criminals casting ballots, which is illegal. Some voters were believed to have claimed that they were illiterate or physically disabled, when in fact they were making these claims so that campaign staff could go into the polling booth with them. These are just a few of the rumors and convictions that have been made over the past 20–30 years.
1990s
The most notable incident of voter fraud in Dodge County in the 1990s is the case of United States vs. McCranie. In this case, there were two defendants being tried together for several different methods of voter fraud. These methods included vote buying, vote selling, multiple voting, and votes cast by felons and deceased voters. The case involved the winners of the July 9th, 1996 races for Dodge County Sheriff and Dodge County Commissioner. The races were decided by 9 votes and 31 votes, respectively. The original results of the election had been contested, and a secondary election took place in an attempt to resolve the issue. In the secondary election, the Dodge County Sheriff's race was overturned, but the results of the Dodge County Commissioner's race remained the same. Through a joint federal-state investigation into the events that took place during this election, it was discovered that the defendants had likely worked together in order to buy votes. It was rumored that the parties discussed payments of roughly $20 per voter, and implemented plans to drive voters to voting stations. This was backed up with bank records that showed that the defendants had each obtained $15,000 in cash in $20 bills from the Bank of Eastman. The use of absentee ballots made it easier for the voter fraud to take place. An unprecedented 15% of all ballots that were submitted in this race were absentee ballots. According to the Elections Superintendent, this was very unusual for Dodge County. The two defendants were accused of voter fraud and sentenced on March 12, 1999. Many federal officials described the 1996 election trial as the largest election-fraud prosecution in United States history.
2000s
Even though the sentencing of multiple candidates and voters in the 1996 Dodge County local and state election caused quite a stir in the county, it did not put the age-old tradition of voter fraud away. This is evidence that vote buying is more than just something that a few individuals did in an attempt to get elected. The reoccurrence of voter fraud in Dodge County shows that it is actually a tradition. While this may seem laughable, it is true that some voters in Dodge County were even unaware that the practice of vote buying was illegal. This may very well be due to the fact that the candidates were so open in their fraudulent practices.
The most notable case of voter fraud in the 2000s is the case of the 2004 Dodge County Sheriff's race. Former Dodge County Sheriff Lawton Douglas Jr. was indicted on two counts of conspiracy and four counts of vote buying in July 2009. This indictment came due to an investigation of the 2004 election, and did not include any charges for the potentially fraudulent 2008 election. Former Sheriff Lawton Douglas received a maximum sentence. The sentencing cited Douglas's use of cash, liquor, and drugs to buy votes in the election. Also, Douglas had people accompany voters into the polling booths in order to ensure that the vote actually went to him. His punishment was 18 months in federal prison.
Resolution
The voter fraud tradition in Dodge County, Georgia is far from being resolved. There are ongoing investigations throughout local, southern politics, many of which will likely end in indictments. Regardless of the past or future reception of punishment by those committing acts of wrongdoing in Dodge County, there will likely be voter fraud continuously taking place in the region. Until all voters are informed on the issue of vote buying, there will be little that can be done to enforce the laws. Without knowing they are committing a criminal act, voters will have little motivation to stop receiving money for votes. Likewise, until all fraudulent candidates are held accountable, it will be difficult to assume that the elections are fair. Resolution to the tradition of vote buying in Dodge County is far from complete.