Vote! Win cash prize
In what it calls an act of desperation, The Philadelphia Citizen says it will pay one Nov. 3 voter $10,000 awarded by lottery. Is the desperation to prod more Philadelphians to the polls -- or to notice The Philadelphia Citizen?
In the good old days of politics, which were the bad old days of politics, the ward leader might pay his/her reliable citizens – the ones who cast predictable votes – some cash for showing up. Buying a drink or a sandwich was the favored inducement in other wards.
Generally speaking, buying votes is considered to be a bad thing – when the money goes directly from the politician to the voter. Somehow, it is considered OK when it is washed through a political action committee or a TV station, which is how most modern voters make up their minds.
The Philadelphia Citizen, which sounds like a newspaper but is more of an online presence, says it will pay $10,000 to a single Philadelphia voter, to be chosen by chance.
The Philadelphia Citizen is co-founded by Larry Platt, former editor of the Daily News, former editor of Philadelphia Magazine, and something of a promotional genius (he's got Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin writing for him).
The Citizen says the lottery is legal, it is not endorsing anyone, and the money is provided by the Pamela and Ajay Raju Foundation. (Ajay is the CEO of the mammoth Dilworth Paxson law firm, a co-founder of the Citizen and a big part of the money behind it).
The story announcing the prize kind of admits the pay-for-voting is "icky," and it is, but when you consider that only 27 percent of registered voters turned out for the mayoral primary in May, things are dire.
The Philadelphia Citizen said it did drive turnout in a recent Los Angeles school district election, but that was $25,000 and who knows what other factors might have been in play.
"It's kind of a cockamamie scheme," Platt told me. "I want to give away money to see if we can get people to vote."
The plan is to show up at a random polling place at a random time, stop someone who had just voted and (almost) hand him or her a check. Almost?
Platt explains they have to check to make certain that person is not related to a candidate or anyone on the Citizen staff.
Why? They voted, didn't they?
Anyway, if that "winner" turns out to be ineligible, the Citizen will go through the list of people who voted to find a random winner.
Like me? Am I eligible?
Probably yes, but I will vote because I always vote, not because of the cash inducement (but I'll keep it if I win it).
I don't think the 10 Large will make much difference because Philly voters seem to be lethargic, and few will hear about this offer. I'm doing my part to get the word out.
It couldn't hurt.