# How much $ would persuade the average American voter to change their vote? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752 "2019-02-18T05:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/21 "2019-02-18T19:59:22Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks for the responses all. > > Now, suppose the average American voter happened to hold the one deciding vote in their hands that would decide the entire election outcome - let’s say, it’s the swing state of Ohio, and the vote is 2,999,999 for the Democrat and 2,999,999 for the Republican and it’s \*all down to that one voter \*- how much money to get him or her to vote the opposite way of what they normally would? [Franchise(short story)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franchise_(short_story)) by Isaac Asimov. > [@](#): > > In the future, the United States has converted to an “electronic democracy” where the computer Multivac selects a single person to answer a number of questions. Multivac will then use the answers and other data to determine what the results of an election would be, avoiding the need for an actual election to be held. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/22 "2019-02-18T20:00:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Maybe I’m just too cynical but I think that even in the Trump era the average American voter would be willing to sway the entire presidential outcome for $50,000 or less. Yeah, you’re probably right. The average American voter could probably rationalize the vote, saying things like “he won’t be that bad, Congress and the Courts will protect us, etc.” I’ll change my answer $5,000 to get an average Dem voter to vote for Trump. Personally, I wouldn’t do it for a million dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/23 "2019-02-18T21:44:07Z")
Forget about changing the vote. How much money would it take to persuade the average American voter to even show up at the polls to vote for anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/24 "2019-02-18T23:09:20Z")
For a single vote? Probably $100. I live in a blue county in a red state. My vote on the local, state and federal level are all pretty much meaningless anyway. If I lived in a swing state, maybe more money. But even if it took more money, I’d donate just enough time and money to ensure at least 1 democrat voted because of me, to neutralize my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/25 "2019-02-19T16:56:27Z")
$10,000 or less. And I say that because I have a bunch of medium sized projects that will cost about $10,000. Don’t judge me. Everyone has a price. I imagine most people would settle for much less. I live in a state that always votes the same way (opposite of me), so my individual vote doesn’t matter that much. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/26 "2019-02-19T18:00:42Z")
I always figure the answer to these questions is how much would the vote change my life vs how much would the money change my life. $1,000 doesn’t do much to change my life. It pays back some debt or allows for a bit of savings until the car breaks down again but tomorrow my life is going to look a lot like today maybe with slightly less stress. With the OP’s phrasing of voting against how they normally vote I’m assuming that means that they actually vote already. So we’re talking about a pro-lifer voting for abortion or a gun nut voting to have his guns taken away. Watching how much the people around me worried about having their guns taken away while Obama was president it was way more stress then the relief of a grand. 10K is where I think it would flip. That’s enough money you don’t have to worry about losing your job or a medical emergency if you have insurance. Your life looks the same but your base level stress is pretty much gone so I think that would compensate for knowing we were building a wall on the southern border and putting kids in cages. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/27 "2019-02-19T18:03:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks for the responses all. > > Now, suppose the average American voter happened to hold the one deciding vote in their hands that would decide the entire election outcome - let’s say, it’s the swing state of Ohio, and the vote is 2,999,999 for the Democrat and 2,999,999 for the Republican and it’s \*all down to that one voter \*- how much money to get him or her to vote the opposite way of what they normally would? I got a lot of relatives in Luzerne County PA which some people argue decided the last Presidential Election and several of whom are life-long party supporters. Most could have been had for either side at about $100,000 and a few for maybe $1,000. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752/28 "2019-02-21T07:16:12Z")
As I recall, it was $10 when Lincoln Steffens was writing, around about 1900. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-persuade-the-average-american-voter-to-change-their-vote/829752.md?page=1)