Long before modern debates about election fraud, American democracy had a darker, far more violent secret. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, we uncover the forgotten 19th-century crime known as cooping—a brutal form of election fraud where voters were kidnapped, drugged, disguised, and forced to vote again and again for political machines. This episode dives deep into how election fraud operated openly in cities like Baltimore and New York, how political gangs controlled polling places, and why reform came only after years of violence and public deaths. At the center of this story is Edgar Allan Poe, found delirious on Election Day in 1849, wearing someone else’s clothes, outside a polling station—never to recover. Was one of America’s greatest writers a victim of election fraud? And how many unnamed people disappeared into the system before democracy cleaned up its act? This episode explores historical election fraud, political corruption, voter manipulation, and the shocking truth about how democracy actually functioned in 19th-century America. Perfect for fans of strange history, true crime, political history, and unexplained deaths.

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