# Sell Your Vote **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 5, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816 "2000-10-05T18:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/1 "2000-10-05T18:16:04Z")
The Chicago Board of Elections is attempting to shut down [http://www.voteauction.com](http://www.voteauction.com) 1. Is the site a joke (like CBOE claims)…it sorta looks like it’s trying to be serious to me… (supposedly some folks were trying to do this via eBay also) 2. The CBOE claims it is against federal and state laws to sell your vote. A quick search of google seems to verify that there are laws against vote selling…but why? ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/2 "2000-10-05T18:24:37Z")
I considered putting my vote up for sale on eBay but was not sure of the legal consequences. Individual votes are pretty worthless though. I guess it is illegal so someone cannot (attempt to, at least) literally buy an election. I mean, we don’t want money to influence the outcome of an election, do we? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/3 "2000-10-05T18:56:49Z")
> [@](#): > > I mean, we don’t want money to influence the outcome of an election, do we? Heavens, no…we couldn’t have that! Why, this is _America_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/4 "2000-10-05T18:59:27Z")
Hell, give me a million bucks and I’d vote for Hitler! ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/5 "2000-10-05T19:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > Hell, give me a million bucks and I’d vote for Hitler! Give me _ten_ bucks and I’d vote for Reagan![sup]\*[/sup] At least he’s still alive… _shudder_ Okay, no, I wouldn’t vote for Reagan. [sub]\*This post is in no way meant to convey a comparison between Hitler and Reagan, 'cept that they were both political ideologues who evoked strong feelings from their supporters and detractors. YMMV.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/6 "2000-10-05T19:27:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gadarene \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > > Hell, give me a million bucks and I’d vote for Hitler! > > Give me _ten_ bucks and I’d vote for Reagan![sup]\*[/sup] At least he’s still alive… > \*\* [JewishGrandmother] What, you call that _living_? [/JewishGrandmother] ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/7 "2000-10-06T15:41:04Z")
yeah but who’s the one that gets in trouble? the guy who sells his vote or the one who buys it? I’d think it would be the one who buys it because of when people used to force people to vote for one person. I’d sell my vote, if I at least half agreed with the person. ---
**Author:** ![User\_10K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@User\_10K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/User_10K)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sell-your-vote/35816/8 "2000-10-07T01:50:27Z")
The reason there’s a law is there was abuse in the past. Both unions and managers would buy votes, and have ward healers watch that they went into the box. It happens today, I’m sure, just like all illegal actions.