Would you vote for $1,000,000?

I sure would.  The New York Times has an article on a bill that will be voted on in November in Arizona.  The bill, if it passes would create a voter lottery.  One lucky person who votes would be chosen through a lottery as a winner of $1,000,000.  The only way to get entered is to vote.

This is one of the stupidest things a state could ever do.  If I were one of the many who didn’t vote, it would bring me into the polls. The problem is that I would be there to get my chance at the million, not to vote.

Proponents of the bill say that it will get higher voter turn out.  They also claim that it could make voters more involved in the voting process and the candidates.

If that were true, this would be an excellent idea.  But again, I just don’t think that it will make people more involved in the process.  The only thing they’ll want to learn is how to vote so they can get their entry.  Can you imagine the outcome of the 2004 election if an extra 25% of the voters had shown up and randomly voted for whomever so they could get an entry into the lottery?  By gum, Bush might’ve won the popular vote and what would the Dem’s have to whine about then?  Or Kerry could have won it all…  I can’t imagine Mr. SwiftBoat in the Iraq situation or in the Israel situation.

Oh hell, while were imagining what could have happened… What if that extra 25% had voted for Nader.

God save us all if this lottery initiative takes hold and spreads across the republic.

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