Status Updates From Means of Ascent (The Years ...

Damn…

(6) but Johnson strategically stalls an investigation from taking place. An Executive Committee is formed to investigate the “potential” fraud, but when a vote is made to proceed or to terminate the investigation, the committee votes to terminate it: 29-28, a 1 vote majority.

(5) So ballot box 13 is counted with 200 additional votes for Johnson and 1 for Stevenson, making Johnson lead ahead of Stevenson by only 87 votes. Stevenson, knowing that the votes were blatantly rigged, is furious and demands a verification and recounting…

(4) Not only would he secure the bloc votes, he would have additional votes added to a specific ballot box—ballot box 13 of Jim Wells County—and this box wouldn’t be counted until 6 days after the election was already solidified in favor of his opponent, Coke Stevenson…

(3) and in return a candidate would receive an overwhelming majority in those counties. LBJ had secured the bloc vote when he campaigned for the senate in ‘41, but that wasn’t enough and he lost. In the 1948 senate election, he would go even further…

(2) Most of the towns in these counties were slums with large Mexican and black populations; moreover, they were controlled by corrupt county judges who could manipulate votes to their liking. Throughout the history of Texas campaigning, it was common for candidates to “buy” these southern bloc votes…