I voted in Arizona in the 2004 elections. Never one for large crowds, I opted to use the early, mail-in ballot. I did miss out on getting an “I voted” sticker of my very own, though.
After coloring in little circles next to the names of potential judges, senators, sheriffs, presidents, et cetera, the only thing that remained were survey questions.
(Paraphrased)
Would being entered into a drawing for $1 Million make you more likely to vote, less likely to vote, or not change your likelihood to vote in any upcoming elections?
I don’t think survey questions are generally designed to kill faith in humanity, but this one came awfully close.
Elections are serious. Voting to place someone in a position of authority, especially to run a nation, should not be taken lightly. This is why those who haven’t researched the candidates, what their stances are, and what their plans are shouldn’t be voting.
It’s bad enough that people show up to vote based on what their friends are doing (who, in turn, vote based on what their friends are doing) and which candidate looks like someone they could sit down and have dinner with. Now, someone honestly thinks a monetary incentive is going to inspire a sudden interest in being an educated voter? Pull the other one. I don’t buy it. What’s going to happen is a massive amount of uninformed people are going to show up to the polls and flip a coin so they can possibly win a prize.
I don’t know. Maybe I don’t give people, in general, enough credit. Perhaps having the power to make a difference by voting, and being informed when you vote isn’t actually a good enough incentive to vote. Maybe states should reward voters with entries into drawings. What are other thoughts on this?
I think the $1,000,000 would be better spent funding things—perhaps education, or public health clinics for the immense uninsured population in Arizona.
I don’t care who you vote for in November. Please, just make an informed decision. Don’t vote for someone based on race, gender, good looks, and middle names. Don’t follow the crowd—it’s a real election, not a popularity contest. Educate yourselves and, when you arrive at the polls, show up to vote, not to fill in some blanks to get a sticker and a pat on the back.
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