Vote Buying in Kentucky

More allegations of vote-buying, dateline Kentucky Feb 13, 2007:

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/16685863.htm

The Bath County attorney, on trial for allegedly buying votes during the May primary, spent the weekend in the Fayette County jail. But officials will not say what Donald “Champ” Maze, 46, did to land there. Maze was booked Friday, but jail officials said the only information they had was that he was arrested on a federal warrant. Maze’s arrest comes in the midst of his trial for voter fraud. He is also accused of lying to a grand jury and trying to coach two women, whom he allegedly paid to buy votes for him, to lie to federal prosecutors. Maze is one of 10 people accused of trying to rig the primary by buying votes. He is the first Bath resident to go to trial.

Hmm, the article doesn’t mention it, but how does someone buy a vote if it’s a poll place vote? My guess is Kentucky has liberalized the restrictions on absentees. Just a hunch. Oops spoke too soon, my hunch is confirmed here:

http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/5654181.html
In that primary, more than 520 Bath County residents voted with an absentee ballot. That’s more than double the number of absentee ballots cast in 2002. Of those 520 voters, more than 240 filled out forms saying they needed assistance and brought people into the voting booth with them. Among those who needed assistance were a beautician and a hazardous materials trucker. Both said on voter assistance documents that they were blind, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Taylor said Tuesday.

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