Free, fair and trusted elections are integral to making our nation work. When that system comes under attack, it truly is necessary to identify those involved and allow the matter to work through the system.

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office and Wetzel County Prosecutor Timothy Haught deserve credit for seeing through a local case in which illegal mailers were sent to thousands of voters during Wheeling’s municipal election. Just recently, Haught, a special prosecutor in the case, brought 22 misdemeanor charges against 41-year-old Anand Patel of Wheeling over his alleged role in sending out the mailings last year. (Haught on Tuesday did file a motion for nine of those charges to be dropped.)

It was just about 13 months ago when Wheeling residents started receiving election-related mailers, primarily targeting candidates running for Wheeling mayor and also at least one sitting councilman.

None of the mailers included the “paid for” disclaimer, as required by law.

To further complicate the issue, several of the mailers were done in such a way as to make it appear as if one of the mayoral candidates was involved (which was not true).

And the return address for mailers that were undeliverable by the post office went to a P.O. box owned by an unsuspecting Wheeling Island resident — a person who, again, had nothing to do with the mailings.

It will be interesting to hear Patel’s explanation for his alleged actions (he has a letter to the editor in today’s edition on the matter). Was his goal simply to create chaos? Was it a statement against some of the candidates on the ballot for what happened at the former Wheeling Inn, where he served as manager, after it was declared a public nuisance? (His family did receive $1.7 million from the taxpayers for that property.)

Whether we learn the real story behind this or not, this much is simple: the system worked. The criminal complaint indicates investigators were able to trace the mailers, created in Florida, to Patel.

He now faces the justice system on this matter.

What’s most important here is that there has been an accounting for what happened.

Consider this, from former 2024 mayoral candidate Rosemary Ketchum, the target of some of the mailings:

“The recent charges filed against the person responsible for the illegal election mailers are a big and necessary step forward — not just for accountability, but for Wheeling’s continued growth as a community that does things the right way.

“… Let me be clear: shady, behind-the-scenes tactics — whether dark money, anonymous attack ads, or other kinds of illegal electioneering — have no place in our Friendly City. These kinds of actions don’t just break laws, they break trust. And nothing matters more to a democracy than trust in our elections. …”

Indeed.

This moment for Wheeling is one in which every resident should take pride in the fact the system worked.