# Vote for sale?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 24, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914 "2004-10-24T16:29:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914/1 "2004-10-24T16:29:26Z")

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Pretty simple, really: is there anything to keep someone from outright selling their vote in the upcoming election?

If you think about it, any undecided voter, who might really not know, or might not care, or might think both parties equally suck wind, might as well try to do the one truly American thing- make money from other people by doing what _they_ want. Is it illegal to do? I’d have to assume not, as it’d be kinda hard to prove, but I could it be considered a sort of bribery?

I wonder if eBay has rules prohibiting this…

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**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914/2 "2004-10-24T16:41:12Z")

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It’s illegal.

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914/3 "2004-10-24T16:48:14Z")

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> [@Garfield226](#):
>
> It’s illegal.

And other than that? 😉

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914/4 "2004-10-24T16:58:13Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> I wonder if eBay has rules prohibiting this…

Someone tried it a few weeks back. eBay prohibited the sale.

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**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-for-sale/270914/5 "2004-10-24T19:01:10Z")

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Asked and answered. This is closed.

- **xash**  
General Questions Moderator