Thursday, October 12, 2006

Greatest Ballot Initative Ever...

Ready or not... it's that time again. Election season. Regardless of how you feel about it, every two years October inevitably brings with it four weeks of complete and total saturation in all things political.

Candidate campaigns running ads 'round the clock, political pundits analyzing every last sneeze of their random samples in an effort to predict election outcomes, and ballot initiatives on everything from banning gay marriage to raising the minimum wage smothering you from the left and the right in a vain attempt to swing your vote.

It's almost enough to make you want to throw in the towel and cry "uncle"... unless you live in Arizona that is. Why you ask? Because Arizona has what some argue is the greatest ballot initative ever up for a vote this fall. It's a proposal that would award one lucky Arizonan voter $1 million big'uns just for casting a ballot. If it helps you conceptually, think of November 7th as "Powerball Tuesday"... except you don't have to pay anything to pick your numbers and you are exempt from any guilt if gambling happens to be against your religion (it being your civic duty to vote and all).

Question is, as apathetic as Americans are, is this really the key to voter turnout? And if it is... who's likely to benefit more? The Repubs' or the Dems'?

16 comments:

Sammy Pow said...

A) It is more likely to get people to vote. What a sweet idea.

B) It will help democrats, because more people who are greedy and don't like to work hard for their money and spend their food stamps are lotery tickets are dems. Simplification? Perhaps. Generalization? Absolutely. Racist? There's an argument. Correct? no question about it.

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen any studies but if I had to guess, I'd say this will help Democrats. I've never seen a neon "LOTTO" sign at a country club.

Stereotypes aside, I don't like it. Certain incentives will attract different people for different reasons. What if they gave away a lower marginal tax rate for two years (assuming they had the power to do so)? That would give a different class of person a greater incentive to vote. I don't like the idea of government imposed incentives.

King Family said...

Great idea. I would live in Arizona just to vote.

syd said...

Basically all the old people with motor homes with AZ plates in the casino parking lots of vegas would take a small break from their gamblathon to go back across the AZ border to vote... I believe most of those walking corpses are republican.

Anonymous said...

If anyone should be surprised about this Marc it would be you. Think of all the trailor trash that you could get to vote democrat? Man, it would be like Christmas, your birthday, a political scandal, and a great religious argument on timesandseasons.com all mixd into one for you! You'd probably die of excitement.

Anyway, I haven't appeared as the far right wing nut you think I am for a while, so I figure you needed some more proof.

Marc said...

BA - Interesting... You seem pretty sure it's going to help Dems, but I thought it was a toss up. There are a lot of good ole' boys down South who like their Nascar, tall boys, and Lotto scratchers.

DAK - Ditto what I said to BA... but I'm with you on not thinking this is the greatest of idea.

Blondemama - Well you did tell me you were debating a move... so perhaps this sealed the deal?

Garg - Hey... it's a better payout than the nickel slots.

TFB - Trailer trash eh? Well done my boy... let those Republican stripes of yours keep shinin'

Anonymous said...

Democrats like high taxes = Democrats must not have jobs = Democrats will do anything for a buck let alone a million of them.

Republicans like low taxes = Republicans are cheapskates = republicans would also do anything for a buck

So I think it's a toss up on who will benefit. It think it is a retarded idea. The only idea that is guaranteed to succeed it alowing us to vote online. I'm planning on writing a blog about this so keep posted.

Sammy Pow said...

I'm pretty sure KKK (every white person in the south, right?) already votes, so it won't really change anything there.

smootheP said...

Personally, i'm all for *anything* that is going to get more people to vote. Unless it somehow involves the torturing of baby seals... I mean, why not have the absolute best representation of our country's opinions reflected in the vote?

However, I also dislike government-imposed initiatives like this one. Especially just to get us to do our civic duty exercising a right that so many of our relatives have fought for. It's just sad that AZ is doing this.

However, the fact that I live in AZ completely sways my opinion. Am I going out to vote? Yes way! Why would I pass up a chance at a million bones for just being a responsible American? I don't play the lotto (religious reasons), but any chance I get with a religious get-out-of-jail free card to win some easy money just for being a good citizen, sign me up!

Gargantus: we Arizonans don't have to go clear to Vegas to gamble... that's why we invented the Indian Reservation. And that's also why we scattered a reservation every 5 miles in any direction throughout the desert down here. Casinos all over the place.

Marc said...

Huck - So you're on the "Vote Online" bandwagon eh?

BA - Hmmm... guess you have a point there

Smooth - You definitely seem torn. For "anything" that will get out the vote on the one hand, but damn those government "imposed" initiatives on the other. But wait!!! This initiative was voter driven... so in the end doesn't that make it really voter-imposed?!! Top that off with the religious gambling prohibition get-out-of-jail free card and it looks like you're having your pie and eating it too.

I'd say that's gotta feel almost as good as the time BA ordered a non-alcoholic beer at a DC sports bar only to end up, unwittingly, drinking a hoppin' barley brew in all its fermented glory.

melbo said...

And if this doesn't work, the next thing we know AZ's polls will be supplied with actual "polls" wrapped by blondes named Coco.
Now I'm even more convinced that working as a pollworker in Virginia is really boring. My skills are really being wasted.

Sammy Pow said...

Marc, That was my greatest mistake, I was like why does this non-alcoholic beer taste so good? Then I figured it out, a bit too early.

Melbo, pregnant poll dancers? That might fly in Mississippi, but not in DC.

Alifinale said...

WHAT!?!? You totally lied when I said I smelled alcohol on your breath. You and your stupid "near" beers are nearer than I thought.

Marc said...

Melbo - Hmmm... perhaps we should invest in a poll for our bedroom...

BA - Not on account of me you didn't. I kept telling you I wasn't sure because I couldn't make out everything the label said in German. You ruined it for yourself by asking someone who actually knew. Ignorance is bliss my friend... ignorance is bliss.

McDreamy - I say just leave it alone McDreamy. Remember... ignorance is bliss.

Anonymous said...

Lotteries = regressive taxes on people who are bad at math. Those math-challenged people will find new incentive to vote. People who are bad at math are less likely to have a good job (unless they're lawyers) and are therefore more likely to be on welfare. Welfare beneficiaries are more likely to vote for the party they think will keep on giving--democrats. The obvious conclusion is therefore that election day jackpots = pandering to math challenged, welfare check cashing, democrat voters. (Similar logic applies to the question of why more dems want to give felons the vote.) :-)

melbo said...

BA technically we're in Virginia, which is a southern state. And anything goes in the derrty south.