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P.S. On the subject of counting ballots behind closed doors, look up Athens, TN in 1946 if you haven't heard about it before. It's a fascinating story. https://
by rmunn 9mo ago
P.S. On the subject of counting ballots behind closed doors, look up Athens, TN in 1946 if you haven't heard about it before. It's a fascinating story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_%281946%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_%281946%29 has a very long account, but the short version is: the sheriff of McMinn County was widely believed to be cheating on ballots by, among other things, having his deputies count the ballots behind closed doors. In 1940, 1942, and 1944, he and his cohorts "won" the election. But in 1946, a bunch of WW2 veterans returning home had formed their own voting block and had run some candidates opposing the sheriff and his cronies. When the sheriff's men took ballot boxes away to count behind closed doors again in the county jail, the WW2 vets armed themselves (without permission) from the local National Guard armory and besieged the jail. The sheriff's men eventually surrendered and returned the ballot boxes which, once counted in front of unbiased observers, showed that the sheriff's candidates had lost and the veteran candidates had won. (Surprise, surprise).
It got made into a 1992 movie called "An American Story" (which covers many things, the Battle of Athens being just one of them). I have no idea how accurate the movie is (I know it's not 100% accurate, but how much it changed I don't know).
- ceejayoz 9mo agoThere's a town in Alabama that skipped elections for 60 years; they'd just hand it off to a buddy. Someone finally registered to run and won by default, so ten days later they had a secret do-over to avoid a Black mayor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbern,_Alabama#Mayoral_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbern,_Alabama#Mayoral_dispu...
- defrost 9mo agoAlabama Goddam
- rmunn 9mo agoHadn't heard about that one. Fascinating. Especially since the Black mayor then challenged the secret do-over, won, as was reinstated as mayor. Then the next year there was an actual election for the first time in over 60 years, and the Black mayor won reelection 66 to 26. Not 66% to 26%, 66 votes to 26 votes. Which just goes to show what a small town that was. P.S. Population of that town in 2020, according to the census? 133 people.
- esseph 9mo agoThere are around 19,500 Incorporated Places. About 42%, or 8,200 of those places, have less than 500 people. About 20% of ALL US towns have less than 200 people. It's a big country.
- wavemode 9mo agoNow here's the kicker - he resigned! Apparently he doesn't really live in the town and wasn't eligible to run for mayor after all. https://www.al.com/news/2026/01/first-black-mayor-of-alabama-town-resigns-after-residency-dispute.html https://www.al.com/news/2026/01/first-black-mayor-of-alabama...
- rmunn 9mo agoThat's hilarious. What a roller coaster of a soap-opera plot! Except it's not a soap opera, it's real life, and it happened in a small town of less than 150 people. The saying is right: truth often is stranger than fiction.
- dogemaster2025 9mo ago[dead]