Voters Claim Their Own Power

Last updated: November 14, 2025

While there was massive coverage across Virginia and the country about the election results, here in Southwest Virginia a major victory was won for the people in Wise County with the defeat of the Board of Supervisors’ Referendum, with 53.9 percent saying NO to the 46.1% saying YES.

How did this defeat happen to the back-room, good ole boy system? Data is still being analyzed for each precinct, comparing early to same day voting, etc. However, based on a great amount of anecdotal evidence, a few observations can be made.

The Electric Authority Referendum is part of a complicated narrative. It starts three years ago when Governor Youngkin announced his “moonshot” will put the first small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in the SWVA coalfields. A grassroots movement began with The Clinch Coalition taking the lead and forming an alliance with four other social/environmental non-profits - Appalachian Peace Education Center, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Wise County Chapter of Virginia Organizing, and the Alliance for Appalachia - to form the SWVA Nuclear Watch. Its purpose is to inform the people of SWVA and challenge the numerous government officials and special interests and their top-down, non-transparent, once again “save the coalfields” economic shenanigans.

Much research revealed the SMRs (all in the design stage in the U.S.) are to be a future energy source to produce electricity for data centers. Led by the LENOWISCO Planning District, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been provided by GO Virginia Region 1 and the VA Department of Energy to study SMRs and microreactors. Although renewable energies are mentioned, most efforts have been in pursuing nuclear reactors, blue hydrogen and carbon capture storage, and currently to get the State Corporation Commission’s (SCC) approval for a natural gas utility operated by the county’s Public Services Authority (PSA).

My personal observation is that the Wise County Board of Supervisors defeated themselves with their incompetence and arrogance. With no public hearing, the people learned primarily of the Electric Authority from an article in Cardinal News at the end of August. The Referendum’s wording on the ballot was simply “Shall Wise County, Virginia, participate as a member of an electric authority created by the County to operate within the County?”

The SWVA Nuclear Watch conducted a massive campaign against the Referendum on its Facebook page over a six-week period, along with a press conference covered by WJHL TV, two paid, half-page ads in the Coalfield Progress and reporting by the paper of the public speaking out at the Board’s September and October meetings.

What was revealed to the public was that a Wise County Electric Authority Referendum Committee was registered with the Board of Elections as a political action committee (PAC), with apparent breaking of two election laws stating the county can provide only NEUTRAL public information and can take no position on the Referendum and that no county employee can advocate for or against the Referendum in their official capacity. The County Administrator and Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Supervisor became the PAC’s chairman and treasurer, respectively. The PAC’s members also include two Board members, the PSA Director, and an employee of LENOWISCO.

Further, the County Board, along with the IDA and PSA provided $30,000 to the PAC using taxpayers’ dollars as campaign contributions. According to the PAC’s report to the Board of Elections, expenditures in September were $13.819.54, mostly to a marketing firm in Florida. The PAC sent a mailer to all voters in the county and placed two half-page newspaper ads, with no information on how the Electric Authority would be structured, operate, or its purpose.

Two IDA employees advocated for the Referendum at a Board meeting and did a webinar. Emails were sent and distributed by other groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Appalachia. All of this was to tell what great economic benefits the Electric Authority would bring, promising jobs and tax revenues. A Vote YES flyer was made available at two Board meetings and briefly put on the County’s website. When SWVA Nuclear Watch asked the Board of Elections if this was legal, we were referred to the Commonwealth Attorney. We were told that our complaint was “moot” since the website “graphic” was changed.

How did the people defeat the entrenched county government controlled by politicians and special interests? Thousands were informed, seeing our Facebook postings and responding. A large number of voters did not vote one way or the other. Why vote for something you know nothing about. And finally, I venture a vast number of residents do not trust their local government.

To all those protesting and organizing, dig deep into the machinations of the government and corporate interests, spread your findings through various media and on the streets, and be persistent.

Disclosure: The Clinch Coalition has received $24,000 in the past three years from three foundations to support the work of the SWVA Nuclear Watch.

Sharon Fisher is president of The Clinch Coalition and a lead coordinator of the SWVA Nuclear Watch.