Editing Loachapoka, Alabama (section)

== Government ==
Loachapoka is governed by a mayor and five town council members. However, in the most recent municipal election (2016), no incumbents submitted the qualifying paperwork to run for re-election. Therefore, the only citizen that did qualify for the ballot became mayor-elect, as per state law, and this was confirmed by the AL Director of Elections.<ref name="dropbox.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0gshwiy2t1dst7x/AAAFWAQ3mIo4bvg2D9erIcDSa?dl=0|title=Loachapoka Election Fraud Documentation|website=Dropbox|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> When the mayor-elect brought the issue to light, several town, county and state officials worked together in a poorly hatched plan to improperly disqualify the only candidate to follow the law for qualification, as referenced in several newspaper articles and audio recordings of town hall meetings.<ref name="dropbox.com"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oanow.com/news/lee_county/loachapoka-municipal-election-is-can-of-worms-as-no-candidates/article_ed8738ca-60f8-11e6-9724-a3dd9e45868c.html|title=Loachapoka municipal election is 'can of worms' as no candidates qualify for ballot|newspaper=Oanow.com|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oanow.com/news/lee_county/questions-about-loachapoka-s-municipal-election-remain-unanswered/article_f7d211be-77c9-11e6-aa8b-6fcaaac8c3a5.html|title=Questions about Loachapoka's municipal election remain unanswered|newspaper=OANow.com|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> The corruption portrayed in this series of events reflects a pattern of politics in Alabama that has been commonplace for many years, as reported in the Harvard Political Review.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://harvardpolitics.com/culture/the-alabamafication-of-america/|title=The Alabamafication of America - Harvard Political Review|date=February 14, 2017|newspaper=Harvard Political Review|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>