Sell out the Vote Campaign

[Kat Kanning]

 

Yesterday, a guy was hassling me to vote and do all sorts of political crap.  He wouldn't let up.  So I suggested, "If you want us to vote, why don't you just buy our votes?"  Well, he loved the idea, and the Sell out the Vote Campaign was born.  When it gets closer to an election, Russell and I will put up our votes on ebay and sell them to the highest bidder.  I think it's so much more honest about the way politics works - we don't need a politician to bring home the porkbarrel project or give us welfare, but cold hard cash, sure thing!  The City of Keene refused to take us off the voter list, so probably some Democrat has been voting for us.  Why continue to waste our vote when we could earn some money?  We'll put an article in the paper about the campaign soon.

Want to join us?

[Caleb]

My hat is in the ring!  I will sell my vote along with you.

[Russell Kanning]

Are you tired of throwing away your vote as a libertarian?
...not anymore baby. You can cash in on the NH advantage.

Do you wish you could vote in an early primary for Ron Paul? I can do it for you. If you are the highest bidder, I will walk in ... declare my party status for the day ... and pull the lever for the candidate of your choice.

So what is the next election here in Keene?

[Russell Kanning]

Why should only the politician cash in on this game?

[thinkliberty]

What you are proposing is illegal :/ People have been arrested for it in the past.

[Tom Sawyer]

Yeah what are you guys thinking...

This must be an oversight, I know your respect for law and order.








OK I couldn't keep a straight face.

[Russell Kanning]

What you are proposing is illegal :/ People have been arrested for it in the past.

Show me the law!

I am already taking bids for the presidential primary. When does that happen again ... next year?

My first offer was for something else in the future. I will let you know the date and specifics later.

Right now I am registered in Keene, so I will formally offer my vote for anything I can vote on in my part of Keene. The next thing might be a revote on the school budget. If you are a teacher, my vote for a budget increase is available.

[Russell Kanning]

This just seems like the right thing to do.

[Pat K]

 

[Dan]

Back in 2000 I think there was a website to trade votes.  It was deemed inappropriate, maybe illegal.

The idea was that if you were in a state like, oh, RI where a non-Democrat vote is just adding noise to the signal you could exchange your vote withsomeone in Iowa or Florida.

Heh, I didn't find THAT website, but I found this report on a vote auction:
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/analysis/2132050/online-vote-trading-takes-election?vnu_lt=vnu_art_related_articles

[Russell Kanning]

Back in 2000 I think there was a website to trade votes.  It was deemed inappropriate, maybe illegal.

Yea ... that would just be wrong. I will be the one to vote for myself. I just can be influenced.

[Russell Kanning]

The idea was that if you were in a state like, oh, RI where a non-Democrat vote is just adding noise to the signal you could exchange your vote withsomeone in Iowa or Florida.

I can't really see how someone in someplace like Florida would want to trade with you in RI. What would be the incentive for them?

[Russell Kanning]

the last surviving vistages seem to be at:
http://www.vote-auction.net/

[Russell Kanning]

[V]ote-auction
- Bringing democracy and capitalism closer together -
UBERMORGEN.COM, 2000-2006

[Russell Kanning]

Voteauction was a Website which offered US citizens to sell their presidential vote to the highest bidder during the Presidential Elections 2000, Al Gore vs. G.W. Bush.

The Website was conceived by the student James Baumgartner and then sold to the austrian business-artists Hans Bernhard (founder of etoy [5]) and Lizvlx from UBERMORGEN.COM[1] in Austria and (V)ote-auction Inc. in Sofia/Bulgaria [a subsidiary of the UBERMORGEN.COM group] for a undisclosed sum. Voteauction was UBERMORGEN.COMs feature Media Hacking performance in the year 2000.

Several US States (Missouri, Wisconsin, Chicago, Arizona, Nevada, California, Massachusetts, New York) issued temporary restraining orders or injunctions for alleged illegal vote trading. This led to the shutdown of 2 domains (voteauction.com and vote-auction.com)[10]. Federal Attorney Janet Reno, the FBI and the NSA were investigating the case to ensure the integrity of the voting process on november 7th, 2000.

Over 2500 global and national News features in online media, print, television and radio have been reported (including a 27 min. CNN exclusive "Burden of Proof")[2].

"[V]ote-Auction" is one of most risky and paradoxically successfull projects by UBERMORGEN.COM: it is "the only platform in the world that provide the final consumer an effective role in the American election industry". A true interchange system that finally "brings capitalism and democracy closer together".[9]