$10-G Just To Vote

Could New Bedford's historic low voter turnout have a possible solution? Say a cash prize to just go out to the polls and vote? Well, that's what's happening in the City of Brotherly Love. In an effort to increase abysmal voter turnout and start a conversation about civic involvement, the editor of The Philadelphia Citizen announced an election lottery on October 22nd that will give $10,000 to one random voter when city residents go to the polls to vote for mayor on November 3rd. The online news site says that mayoral election turnout in Philadelphia plunged from 77 percent in 1971 to only about 20 percent in 2011. So, what do you think of this lottery idea to try to encourage people to vote?

Should getting people to the polls any way possible be the goal, or should it be getting them engaged enough to want to show up and vote without any outside incentive? Leave us your thoughts.