A Virginia Democrat was detained by police this week on suspicion of election and voter scams.
According to online court records, Blacksburg Town Councilman Liam Watson, a 24-year-old Democrat officer, allegedly engaged three counts of election fraud and one count of unlawful election in an poll in August of 2023. According to VSP Public Relations Director Corinne Geller, the Montgomery County grand jury “handed up” the claims on Tuesday, and Watson turned himself in to the Virginia State Police (VSP) on Wednesday.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation received assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, according to Geller in an email. ” The investigation remains ongoing”.
Watson reportedly “feloniously and consciously” made false statements or entries last year on his Virginia voting registration software, on a speech of business member council, and on a declaration of candidacy form, according to indictments obtained by The Federalist. He even allegedly “feloniously and willfully” voted in an election in which “he was not qualified to vote”.
Suppose all of the crimes were committed in Montgomery County, which includes Blacksburg, as reported.
Watson has worked with the residents of Montgomery County for a number of years, and he most recently won a seat on the Blacksburg Town Council in a write-in campaign led by the residents of Blacksburg, according to his counsel, who spoke to a regional media outlet. ” He is 24 years older, with a spirit for public services, and has worked diligently for the people who elected him”.
The state policeman approached Ian Lichacz’s office in March, according to the journalist who works for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
” In this case back in March VSP came to the AG’s office with facts and asked for permission to investigate”, Lichacz said,” and the AG’s office approved it”.
The VSP next began looking into” an incident of election scams,” according to Geller.  ,
According to Geller, Watson was released from jail on a specific custody connection for each of the costs.
Political Savvy
Watson has a rich political history context. According to Linked In, he served as a modern expert for the Democratic Party of Georgia from May to June 2022 and as a press secretary for the Democrat Party of Virginia from June to December 2023.  ,
According to The Roanoke Times, Watson has been working for Sapphire Strategies for near to six weeks, which, according to the company’s website, specializes in” comprehensive digital strategy to help progressive activities and causes.” According to its site, the organization has done work for Democrats, including former Obama case members Julián Castro and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sapphire offers online get-out-the-vote marketing to “persuade every previous on-the-fence voting and change out every last base Democrat”.
Additionally, Watson officially decried Republican election safety measures.
In an October article on X, Watson accused Virginia’s Republican government, Glenn Youngkin, and state Republican of” taking steps to undermine voting right”. The accusation was made in response to a New York Times article about” training surveys watchers” and “recruiting election workers” by community election integrity organizations.
In a post last month praising Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine’s efforts, Watson emphasized the value of “working]ing ] to ensure that everyone – regardless of zip code – has every opportunity to make their voice heard.
Logan Washburn is a staff writer who writes about the dignity of elections. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s journal associate, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan was born and raised in remote Michigan, but he now resides in Central Oregon.
