Would you sell your vote?

[Davros]

I'd consider taking the money but still voting as I had planed to all along.

 

[MacLeod]

Absolutely I would, in theory. I don't see a moral difference between choosing between two options based on how they impact my life (what I already do) and choosing between two options based on, yes, how they impact my life (what is being proposed).

The value I would assign to my vote would essentially be a curve, dependent on a) the negative impact on my life of the party I'm paid to vote for and b) the likelihood of them winning anyway. Big negative impact plus knife-edge election equals very high value to my vote. Low negative impact (or positive impact) plus a foregone conclusion election anyway would make for a low value.

Even in a knife-edge election, I wouldn't consider it worth millions/billions; a realistic value in a knife-edge election where my vote really mattered would probably pitch the value of my vote at around £50k. It's simply not going to be worth more, given the number of votes that would need to be bought and the average amount of money parties have. I'd definitely strongly consider selling at that price. In a bog standard election, under the current electoral system where I live in a very safe constituency for one of the major parties, I'd actually rate my vote's realistic market value at about £500-1k. I'm not certain I'd sell at that price, but I'd consider it. It's a fiction to suggest votes aren't already indirectly bought, so I don't see a problem with it being more explicit.

My constituency doesn't need a massive swing in votes to change parties. But it's hard to say if it's a safe seat or not given that the seat has only been contested once at the 2010 General election following boundary changes.

 

[marillion]

Nope.. Not even if the offer came from the candidate I was planning on voting for in the first place.

 

[mimic]

Hey, if someone here gives me $1000 I'll vote for the 'less than $100' option.

 

[Grey]

Hey, if someone here gives me $1000 I'll vote for the 'less than $100' option.

Haha!

Yeah, I'd accept money for my vote. If the guy I was going to vote for anyway is paying me!

Think of it this way, though. You vote in an election between a number of candidates essentially offering the same thing and get nothing, or, you vote in that same election and get 1000 dollars. Either way, the social momentum we'd have as voters and they'd have as politicians stays the same.

[I'm not actually saying I'd sell my vote. I would, but for living wages.]

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Yes I would, unless for some reason I considered the party I was selling it to dramatically more heinous than the other party. Since this has never happened, sure. But I charge 50 bucks for every half hour of my life this will take including travel time.

 

[propita]

Uh, being a Dem in a blue state (CA), I had to think hard about this. But my price would still be far higher than you offer. I was thinking $10M. Yeah, you want me to vote for the current GOP platform, my vote's gonna cost. And even then, I'd sell my vote only as long as I was sure it wouldn't change anything.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

No.

 

[SmoothieX]

I tend to be morally liberal and fiscally conservative. Basically the keep your hands out of my wallet and my bedroom party.

But any state I have lived in has been staunchly blue, so my vote basically doesn't matter, so I'd sell it for lunch and maybe even a couple tickets to a Pats game.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Can you vote online and not have to go to polling booths?

If so I'll sell my vote for a sandwich, with mustard.

 

[SmoothieX]

I've got some pretty good champagne dill mustard here. Hope you don't mind Price Chopper brand, it's tasty on a sandwich.

I'm a mustard buff, mayonnaise can suck it.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Oh I agree, mayonnaise is like a body fluid. So it can suck it.. or actually, not.

I love all mustard!!

If you give me this sandwich on a nice rye I will vote especially hard. Especially.

 

[SmoothieX]

I'm fine with mayo in something, like potato salad, but I can't stand it as a condiment alone just slathered on a sandwich.

I'm very much a mustard man. Give me something subtle enough where I can taste the rest of the sandwich, but with enough kick that it is still sharp. I used to get the Maille brand but the store stuff here is cheaper and really good. My ex in laws had this great habanero mustard from the west coast, which you sadly can't find around here.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Australians are terrible at mustard. You might find this difficult to believe but mustard is not a standard condiment at all to have at a BBQ, or if you buy a sausage at a fund raiser etc..

My local bakery started selling hot dogs this year and I actually bought them mustard because they didn't offer any, only ketchup.

However we can get plenty of good European ones in delis and Maille in the supermarket.

 

[SmoothieX]

For some odd reason I thought you were from California, but now that I know you are from Australia your accent is a lot more interesting to a guy from upstate New York.

I'm a ketchup on a hot dog guy to start with, but give me some corned beef or pastrami on a crusty roll, a slice of Muenster, and some nice deli mustard, and I'll pretty much be in heaven. Replace the Meunster with the 100 month old cheddar I used to get straight from the source when I lived in Vermont and toss in a slice of tomato, and I'll definitely be in heaven.

 

[Starkers]

Absolutely I would, in theory. I don't see a moral difference between choosing between two options based on how they impact my life (what I already do) and choosing between two options based on, yes, how they impact my life (what is being proposed).

The value I would assign to my vote would essentially be a curve, dependent on a) the negative impact on my life of the party I'm paid to vote for and b) the likelihood of them winning anyway. Big negative impact plus knife-edge election equals very high value to my vote. Low negative impact (or positive impact) plus a foregone conclusion election anyway would make for a low value.

Even in a knife-edge election, I wouldn't consider it worth millions/billions; a realistic value in a knife-edge election where my vote really mattered would probably pitch the value of my vote at around £50k. It's simply not going to be worth more, given the number of votes that would need to be bought and the average amount of money parties have. I'd definitely strongly consider selling at that price. In a bog standard election, under the current electoral system where I live in a very safe constituency for one of the major parties, I'd actually rate my vote's realistic market value at about £500-1k. I'm not certain I'd sell at that price, but I'd consider it. It's a fiction to suggest votes aren't already indirectly bought, so I don't see a problem with it being more explicit.

Yeah, under the current boundaries the constituency I live in is a pretty solid Labour seat and has been for donkey's years so realisticly whichever way I vote doesn't have an impact.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I'd never sell my vote. My conscience can't be bought.

However we can get plenty of good European ones in delis and Maille in the supermarket.

Look out for Händlmaier mustard. The hot one is excellent but they are especially famous for their classical sweet mustard. It's delicious with roast pork sausages and Sauerkraut. And it's a must with Bavarian White Sausage.

 

[SeerSGB]

Federal Election - Nope.

Local Election - Considering I loath damn near everyone that runs for our local offices and usually about 1/2 or so of the local posts are uncontested, sure why not.