The Vote Collectors, Second Edition

“In-depth reporting and journalistic flair. . . . A useful book for policymakers and politics junkies.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] fascinating read. Recommended for readers interested in politics and North Carolina.”—Library Journal

“On the heels of one of the most volatile presidential elections in recent memory, The Vote Collectors is a pointed look at the 2018 congressional election in North Carolina’s Bladen County...[The book] uses this story to explore the weakness of current voting systems, specifically in the South, given the historical scars of racism in elections and voting rights...Recommended for readers interested in politics and American history, as well as the intersection of voting rights.”—Affinity Magazine

“A fine-grained and vivid account of the 2018 North Carolina congressional race that was overturned because of electoral fraud...Throughout, the authors weave in intriguing bits of local color and draw trenchant connections to fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election. This doggedly reported chronicle sheds light on America’s political dysfunctions.”—Publishers Weekly

“Graff and Ochsner’s narrative moves like a novel, tying its story to the county’s past. . . . Thorough and compelling.”—Foreword Reviews

“In The Vote Collectors, that scandal—which made national headlines for months—is secondary to a more comprehensive examination of its historical, economic, and political antecedents in Bladen County and oft-forgotten eastern North Carolina...The authors unfurl the story in three parts: a deep probe into the history of post-Civil War eastern North Carolina sandwiched by more recent developments in Bladen County, leading up to and after the 2018 election.”—Charlotte Magazine

“A fascinating narrative of the long clash of racism and electioneering—and a larger story about the challenges to democracy in the rural South.”—WRAL

“In the deft hands of these two storytellers, The Vote Collectors would be an ideal selection for college courses on North Carolina politics and history, electoral politics, or southern politics.”—North Carolina Historical Review

"Rollicking, deeply reported, and a delight to read.”—David Graham, The Atlantic