Vote + Lottery = Turnout?

[Pangloss]

Arizone is considering a plan to combine a million-dollar lottery with the next election, as a way to entice voters to the polls.

 

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Voter_Reward.html

 

What do you guys think? Good idea or bad?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Wouldn't that also entice people who would otherwise not vote to vote for random people just in case they get the money?

[padren]

Arizone is considering a plan to combine a million-dollar lottery with the next election' date=' as a way to entice voters to the polls.

 

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Voter_Reward.html

 

What do you guys think? Good idea or bad?[/quote']

 

Ohhh I'll be voting for whomever is in favor of that upper bracket tax cut - just in case!

 

I could see the headlines, "Rex Rexworth, was just elected in a landslide victory, his sole platform being to abolish the lotto-winnings tax."

 

 

All in all I have pretty mixed feelings, but I think getting people out and voting is definately important. I would be curious to see the effect.

[Jim]

Arizone is considering a plan to combine a million-dollar lottery with the next election' date=' as a way to entice voters to the polls.

 

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Voter_Reward.html

 

What do you guys think? Good idea or bad?[/quote']

 

Bad idea. If people do not care enough to vote, I have no problem with them refraining. Paying people to vote demeans the right.

[zyncod]

Bad idea. If people do not care enough to vote, I have no problem with them refraining. Paying people to vote demeans the right.

 

I agree. Most Americans (67% by a 1996 Washington Post poll) can't even name their representative in Congress. Do we really need to entice more people that are probably less aware of the issues of the day to vote? In fact, I think it should be more difficult to vote, not less difficult - but I can't think of a way of doing so that wouldn't discriminate against some group or other.

 

The whole butterfly ballot thing in 2000 really made me worry about who is voting in America (admittedly, it was the first election I was allowed to vote in). I mean, if the earth swallowed up Bush tomorrow, the only tears I would cry would be crocodile ones. But if my ideological compatriots can't follow an arrow to a button, then they shouldn't be electing the President anyway.

[Phi for All]

Terrible! There are many reasons to get out and vote and being paid to isn't one of them. Pay me to elect someone to represent me?! I don't think so.

[Pangloss]

This is an interesting subject from a purely political (i.e. realpolitik) perspective. It's something that certain segments from *both* the Democratic and Republican parties will support, and certain segments from both parties will also oppose it.

 

One interesting twist is that the proposal involves unclaimed Lottery money. The problem with that, of course, is that you'll end up giving the money to someone who didn't even buy a lottery ticket, and may never even have done so. So why do they deserve a reward?

 

I think both sides have valid points, but I can't see much benefit to me from having people who aren't really interested in voting turn out to the voting booths. What's in it for me? WHY does this make for a better democracy?

 

I'm also not sure it will make much difference in voting turnout. One of the reasons why the lottery is so successful is because it happens on a regular basis. Voting is much less common, and therefore people are still likely to shrug it off. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the first prize will go to someone who would have voted anyway. (Of course, that's what they'd likely say anyway....)

 

My guess is that we will see a division along the lines of Democrats predominently in favor and Republicans predominently opposed.

[AzurePhoenix]

I come from such a hick state

 

Yeah, no doubt it's a bad idea. From a pessimistic point of view, I don't think we'd WANT to attract the votes of people who under normal circumstances wouldn't give a damn about voting for it's own merit.