LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD
The 3 May 1927 general election returned President Charles D. B. King to office in a contest widely remembered for impossible reported totals and systematic fraud.
Presidential election
King of the True Whig Party was declared the winner over Thomas J. R. Faulkner of the People’s Party. Faulkner campaigned on political and labor reform.
Reported results and fraud
Sources do not agree on one exact tally. Frequently cited versions give King between about 229,527 and 243,000 votes, Faulkner about 8,992 to 9,000, and only 15,000 to 19,000 eligible or registered voters. Every version is mathematically incompatible with a genuine count. Liberia Civic therefore treats these as competing historical reports of falsified official figures, not valid vote totals.
Vice-presidential election
Allen Yancy was elected vice president with King and served until resigning in December 1930.
Legislative election
Members of both legislative chambers were also elected, but reliable constituency-level returns and complete seat totals have not yet been located.
Forced-labor investigation and aftermath
After the election, Faulkner accused senior officials of coercive labor recruitment and the shipment of workers to Fernando Po. The controversy led to an international commission of inquiry supported by the League of Nations. Its findings implicated senior officials in forced-labor practices. Yancy resigned, followed by King in December 1930, and Secretary of State Edwin Barclay succeeded to the presidency.
Historical significance
The election became an international symbol of electoral fraud and exposed the exclusion and coercion underlying True Whig rule. Its political aftermath directly shaped the 1931 presidential contest.
Evidence status
Classification: Winner, opponent, parties, date, vice president, fraudulent character, and political aftermath documented. Exact published totals conflict across sources and are not treated as verified votes.