In the next Presidential Election? Would you sell your vote for a iPod and/or an iPhone?

In every Presidential Election for the rest of your life? Would you sell all your votes for $1 million?


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6892.html

Quote :

"Attila Dimedici writes "Two thirds of the students at NYU would give up their right to vote in the next election for a full scholarship. Some would be satisfied with an ipod. A few would be willing to give up the right for the rest of their lives for one million dollars.""

11/15/2007 9:23:10 AM

i'd give up my presidential vote (one vote, not all of them for the rest of my life) for my debts being paid off for school/car. though school is the largest one >.<

11/15/2007 9:32:51 AM

I'd sell it for a million, then buy another vote from some other guy with even lower standards.

If I found someone apathetic enough, I could probably net $999,750 while still having the right to vote via proxy.


Even assuming I couldn't sell it, $1,000,000 would still be plenty, so long as vote-buying wasn't a widespread trend that had the potential to harm democracy.

11/15/2007 9:33:36 AM

lots of people already give up their vote for free, so this isn't shocking

11/15/2007 9:38:34 AM

1 million for all votes for the rest of my life?

no hesitation there.

my votes don't matter in a highly republican state.

11/15/2007 9:43:49 AM

^^^ now that is the American dream at work.

11/15/2007 9:51:10 AM

keep in mind here, i'm not asking how much you would like to sell your vote(s) for, i'm asking the minimum amount you would sell your vote(s) for.

11/15/2007 9:54:22 AM

Working on the assumption that this would be an isolated sale and in no way a larger trend that could threaten democracy,

$2,500


But that's too cheap to maintain my dignity, so if the sale where to be public information,

$100,000

11/15/2007 10:03:49 AM

honestly since one vote doesnt matter i would sell it to the highest bidder

if that mean 20 bucks i'd do it....in fact, if any of you want me to vote for your candidate i will do it for 20 bucks

11/15/2007 10:06:33 AM

Quote :

"in fact, if any of you want me to vote for your candidate i will do it for 20 bucks"

God damn.

No comment.

11/15/2007 10:10:05 AM

i dont mean forever...i mean just for this election...also i didnt see the lifetime thing...i'd do the lifetime vote for like 100k...i mean damn its not that big a deal...especially if you normally would vote democrat but live in a place like NC....for one vote it AT LEAST has to be 5...cause you have to register and drive to the polling area and all that jazz

11/15/2007 10:22:47 AM

Quote :

"my votes don't matter in a highly republican state."

Which state?

There is a 16 person Democratic majority in the NC House of Representatives.
There is a 12 person Democratic majority in the NC Senate.
There is 1 more Democrat (7) than there are Rebublicans (6) serving in the US House of Representatives.
Both of NC's senators are Republican.
I'm pretty sure that NC's electoral college votes have always gone to the Republican candidate.

Either way I don't see NC as being a pure Republican state. I mean, have you even took notice of all the recent tax hikes?

[Edited on November 15, 2007 at 10:32 AM. Reason : -]

11/15/2007 10:31:18 AM

democracy in action

11/15/2007 10:48:24 AM

i sold mine for $20 last election

11/15/2007 10:52:51 AM

dude hook it up for me...i would love to turn this into some kind of profit

11/15/2007 10:54:06 AM

Shit, I'd sell my vote in a presidential race for a case of beer. NC is a RED state in presidential elections. Regardless of who I would support Dem or Repub my vote would make little difference with all the "Git ERRRR Dun" north Carolinians.

11/15/2007 11:08:07 AM

Huh, you'd think that someone that would be willing to sell their vote for "a case of beer" would fall into the "Git ERRRR Dun" demographic. Go figure.

11/15/2007 11:32:18 AM

Well, the alternative is not voting, so they must pay enough to get me to the polls. $20 seems about right to buy my vote one time because in any given election one vote is irrelevant.

I would sell my votes for all time for no less than $100,000. This number is high not because I fear someone becoming dictator for life by buying up 51% of voters, but merely on the risk that I am wrong. At this price they should be able to buy a majority for life to the tune of a few hundred billion dollars.

America is still America, even if someone did attain unquestioned authority there will still be strong limits placed upon them by both civil society and various traditions.

11/15/2007 11:45:33 AM

Quote :

"NC is a RED state in presidential elections. Regardless of who I would support Dem or Repub my vote would make little difference with all the "Git ERRRR Dun" north Carolinians."

Which is why voting at the primaries level is so much more important. Who do you think doesn't bother to show up for that election, even if they wander in the general election?

11/15/2007 11:46:53 AM

I'd sell it for a decent amount ( > $1000), it's not THAT hard to vote like a Chicagoean

vote early, vote often

11/16/2007 12:56:15 AM

in the current climate where i'm highly unlikely to really like either candidate on the general election ballot, it wouldn't take much. Prob $100.

11/16/2007 1:00:18 AM

Realistically this questions has been plaguing humanity since the dawn of civilization. Politics is ultimately the way in which individuals can get other people to benefit them by manipulation. I am sure 1/2 here would vote "Hitler" for president if given the right package of money/freedom/benefits.

I mean hell let me have 100K a year and get to chill in the Cayman islands with a harem of 20 beautiful women w/ mom and pops given immunity and taken care off $$$ wise till death and i'd vote stalin

11/16/2007 3:54:29 AM

no one in their right mind will pay any individual any amount of money for their votes.

diebold is already delivering votes to the highest bidder as a one-stop-shopping service

11/16/2007 3:57:45 AM

^true

11/16/2007 8:28:03 AM

20 bucks if i didn't have to go down to the polling place. 50 if i did.

11/16/2007 9:40:33 AM

20$

11/16/2007 9:43:38 AM

The question is if libertarians would view vote-buying as free-market magic or not.

11/16/2007 12:13:11 PM

Quote :

"Which is why voting at the primaries level is so much more important. Who do you think doesn't bother to show up for that election, even if they wander in the general election?"

you say that like our presidential primary matters at all

11/16/2007 12:51:55 PM

Well, in general. Yes, NC's is too late to matter. Although perhaps if the primary race is close it could throw a spanner into the works...

11/16/2007 1:13:59 PM

What kind of question is this? Politicians buy your vote everyday. I mean, one guy tells you he'll save you money by cutting taxes and another guy says he'll give you free healthcare if you vote for him. I mean, it's all about the $$$.

11/16/2007 1:18:50 PM

my vote is priceless

11/16/2007 1:57:31 PM

^^ lawl, "free healthcare"

i pay for it already, do you honestly think that employers everywhere are gonna give raises if this happens? fuck no, only taxes will change, by going up

11/16/2007 2:19:28 PM

It'd take more than $100 or an iPod, that's for sure.

11/16/2007 2:24:05 PM

It depends on who the opposing candidate is.

But it'd be anywhere from an iPod Touch on up.

11/16/2007 2:28:42 PM

It's not that think my vote matters. I don't even particularly like the idea of representative democracy. However, selling my vote would be demeaning.

11/16/2007 2:32:25 PM

^ I agree, but i'm not proud enough to reject a practically free iPod Touch.

11/16/2007 2:33:19 PM

Well, I have little desire for an iPod. That affects my stance. It would also depend on the buyer.

I'd absolutely do the lifetime thing for million bucks, though I might hate myself for it.

11/16/2007 2:36:48 PM

MISB G1 Fortress Maximus.




... yes, you can buy me with Transformers.

11/16/2007 3:38:32 PM

probably 50 bucks

11/16/2007 3:57:20 PM

Quote :

"The question is if libertarians would view vote-buying as free-market magic or not."

I would assume libertarians view the whole voting process in sheer horror. I mean, the idea of picking someone else that will dictate over you must be terrifying, regardless of how that someone was chosen, secret ballot, public ballot, bribe, military coup, etc. etc.

11/16/2007 3:58:38 PM

You're thinking of anarchists. Try again.

11/16/2007 4:08:10 PM

I'd sell my vote in this election for a 6 pack of beer.

Unless I had to actually go to the polls, then it would take significantly more because I'm either going to have to take off work or use my outside of work time.

I'd sell my votes for life for a nominal fee, say $1,000. Unless I didn't have to actually vote each year... then $250 would cut it.

If you really want to affect a campaign you have to work for it or educate or manipulate mass groups of voters like how the republicans have taken over the religious right.

One vote is meaningless.

11/17/2007 1:12:34 PM

You know, we would have never won WWII if every soldier thought that their contribution was meaningless

11/17/2007 1:28:28 PM

^ Quite possibly the worst analogy I have seen in a while.

11/17/2007 2:12:11 PM

I feel that my vote isn't that important so it's really difficult for me to decide how much I'd sell it for.

I mean, I think I'd want to sell it for as much as I could get for it.

I'd want at least $100,000 for a lifetime of my votes.

But that's not because I think the votes are worth $100,000. It's just cause I want $100,000.

11/17/2007 3:13:34 PM

i'd take the million for a lifetime and leave the country

11/18/2007 12:01:11 AM

1 million for a life-time of votes is a no brainer

11/18/2007 12:06:22 AM

until i get someone worth voting for, i have no problem selling my vote

11/18/2007 1:50:10 AM

1 million is slowing becoming not-a-lot-of-money though.

11/18/2007 2:40:28 AM

Considering I don't vote at all and don't ever plan to...fuck yeah i'll sell for a million + an iphone.

11/18/2007 4:40:43 AM