Getting Paid to Vote: So Much Ballot Box Buffoonery

LA OBSERVED-A friend of mine in grade school was a good student who regularly brought home report cards bearing As and Bs. After each term, she'd proudly announce how much she'd made for her efforts -- her parents rewarded her with a dollar for every A and 50 cents for every B. 

Had my family followed that practice, I too would have fattened my pink patent leather wallet. I was a good student too ... if you don't count arithmetic. I told my parents about my friend's scholastic windfall, and asked, "Why don't I get paid for getting As?" 

"Because," my father replied, "you're expected to do well in school. You don't get special rewards for what you're expected to do." 

Even to a kid, that made sense. 

To this adult, what doesn't make sense is the LA Ethics Commission's recommendation to the City Council on how to encourage more people to vote: Pay them. Or, more accurately, woo them into the voting booth with the promise of a payout via lottery whose winners would be composed solely of people who vote. (Read the rest here.)

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CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 67

Pub: Aug 19, 2014