I guess having your ballot mailed to you in a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope ready for you to fill out and mail in isn’t making the voting process easy enough or inviting enough for Los Angeles residents. Voter turnout is an abysmal 8%.
No worries! The local “Ethics Commission” (I’m not kidding!) is considering holding a “voter lottery” of sorts to bribe voters to vote. They want to give a cash prize lottery ticket to everyone who comes out and votes (never mind the fact that is AGAINST Federal law!) They’re hoping the chance to win will get more people to the polls.
Sadly, they are unconcerned with how many dead people will be voting (10’s of 1000’s still on the voter rolls) or whether the live people voting will actually have a clue as to what boxes they’re checking on the ballot. So long as a warm body shows up to claim a ballot, I guess that’s ok.
Great job Ethics Commission. You’ve outdone yourselves. I’m ashamed to say I live in Los Angeles County. Voting is a privilege. If we have to bribe someone to do it, then they don’t deserve it (and neither do we, because you know it won’t be an educated vote!)
You can read more about this story here and here.
Photo credit Erin Leigh McConnell
