“If you want to steal an election, the absentee box is the place to begin, and if you want to calculate the likelihood of fraud in a county, first figure the percentage of its total vote that is cast in absentia.”

“Whether you were a Democrat or a Republican the key to [the vote-buying system used in Arkansas] was a clutch of judges and clerks in every precinct who were dependable and resourceful. When a candidate put his money into the pool to buy votes, he deserved the assurance that the people whose vote they bought actually voted for him.”

–Retired Arkansas Supreme Court Juste Tom Glaze, writing in his memoir of fighting to clean up Arkansas elections, Waiting for the Cemetery Vote.
The fascinating and colorful look at election malfeasance in Arkansas is yet another demonstration that any worries about voter fraud must start with the collusion or leadership of election officials or party workers. Amid all the stories in this book, there’s nothing of any in-person voter impersonation fraud meant to trick honest election workers.