eBay'er Arrested For Attempting To Sell His Vote

The Associated Press reports that Max P. Sanders, 19, is charged with a felony for attempting to auction off his vote on eBay for the upcoming presidential election. From the article: '"Fundamentally, we believe it is wrong to sell your vote," said John Aiken, a spokesman for the office. "There are people that have died for this country for our right to vote, and to take something that lightly, to say, 'I can be bought... It's a real shame"' Yes, that is a terrible shame, isn't it. Perhaps we should arrest, prosecute, and imprison everyone who sells their vote. The boy says it was all a joke, but prosecutors aren't laughing. Max faces up to 5 years in prison and $10,000 in fines if he is convicted.

You can't transfer a 'vote'

The elections are anonymous.

I could sell my vote for a million dollars, and still vote however I liked, and you would be none the wiser.

Re:You can't transfer a 'vote'

Actually, it may be easier than you think to sell a vote. Read more here: How Secret is Your Ballot? (1/3) [punchscan.org]. Very interesting stuff. There are lots of ways in which someone can verify that you voted the way you claimed.

Worse than just selling your vote, this can be used for voter coercion.

Some people think paper is just the perfect solution for voting, but really it has many problems that can be solved by electronic voting when done carefully. (And of course, when done haphazardly electronic voting has many problems that paper voting does not).

Re:You can't transfer a 'vote'

I would sell my vote, but Diebold already sold it for me.

I wouldn't have backed down.

I'd have taken advantage of it, called in the media, and explained to them just how common "selling your vote" is in congress, and how there is nobody who truly represents "we the people", especially that portion of us below 30.

Re:I wouldn't have backed down.

Selling a vote for a certain law or policy in congress is entirely different then selling a vote for an election.

You're right. One is 1/350 odd millionth of the popular vote, the other has direct, harmful impact on the public.

And you have no proof that congress men actually sold their votes. People donate to candidates who support issues they care about. It is entirely possible that the vote was completely separate from the campaign donations.

In the words of every valley girl "oh please". Please do sit and spin some more on this.

I could go on about problems with your concept of "we the people" with your notion of that in relation to the population under thirty and the decline of the education system but I will save that for another time.

Ah yes, let's turn around and bash the citizenry when they engage in civil disobedience and stay home because they know nobody gives a damn.

Re:I wouldn't have backed down.

One is 1/350 odd millionth

Well, except most people don't vote, only about 120 million votes were cast in the 04 US election.

Re:I wouldn't have backed down.

I think your vote is like your pussy:

It's perfectly legal to give it away for free, but the moment you try to earn some cash...

That is really funny

So does that mean that all the professional lobbiest are going to be arrested for trying to buy votes?

Excessive?

I can see how this sort of thing would be illegal, but at the same time it's not as if he's really hurting anyone or causing a huge halt to progress. It just seems like it would be a waste throw him in prison for five years over something like this.

Re:Excessive?

That's the maximum. I'd be surprised if he does any jail time at all. The thing that sucks is having a felony on your record, and explaining your stupidity when asked about it for the rest of your life.

Re:Excessive?

The thing that sucks is having a felony on your record, and explaining your stupidity when asked about it for the rest of your life.

One should note that there is an automatic disqualification for most employment (and voting, ironically enough).

and when exactly will this be properly challenged and struck down?

if they're so keen on protecting our voting rights, then they shouldn't be able to silence people by putting a microscope to them and digging up some common everyday activity which happens to be a felony.

What better way to silence critics of your anti-drug policy than slapping everyone who smokes marijuana with a felony charge?

When last I checked, the constitution said nothing about smoking weed or snorting coke when they outlined the right to vote.

hmmm

then ..... lobbying should be outlawed

Cue congressman/senator examples in 3, 2, 1

Go !

so, its ok if sale of a vote is made under other names, like 'donations', or 'lobbying', or 'support', but its not ok if it is named directly for what it is.

you gotta love the hypocrisy that is reigning on this world.

Cut out the middlemen

People sell their vote all the time - they sell it for lower taxes, free health care, cheaper oil, etc.

This guy just wants to cut out the middlemen.

If only he had made PayPal a payment option...

... eBay wouldn't have turned him in.

feedback...

A+++++++++++++ would vote again!

Free speech? Thought police?

This is absolutely ridiculous. He didn't actually sell his vote, he just put it up for sale. I would argue that its an act of exercising free speech.

Re:Free speech? Thought police?

I think that the individual has the right to decide whether it's more important for him to gain a few dollars versus influencing which party wins.

Sometimes individual rights collide with the collective interest. When you choose to live in a country with a government, you give up some individual rights -- in exchange you get safety for your person. The old Icelandic Republic allowed the selling and buying of votes; within a few hundred years four families had cornered the market and civil war was the inevitable result. New democracies like the US don't allow the buying and selling of votes for a good reason. As a civilization, we learn from the mistakes of the past and try to avoid repeating them.

Arrested?

Hmm, there is a state law against selling your vote? I'd love to see that challenged all the way to the supreme court. I very much doubt it would hold up. Aren't we all selling our votes in a sense, by giving them to a candidate who promises us something we wish to happen. If I vote for Obama because I would benefit from his health care plan, am I not exchanging my vote for something that is valuable to me?

How ironic

You can sell out your nation to big business and crazy religion but one individual can't sell his own vote...

Oh cry me a river

"There are people that have died for this country for our right to vote, and to take something that lightly, to say, 'I can be bought.'"

And people have died for your country for your right to freedom. Freedom is also your right to handle your vote you want to. Who are you [John Aiken] to decide how people make up on who they vote.

PS, I'm not an USA citizen, hence the "your".

Open For Lobbying

He should have opened his vote to lobbying, asked for a few trips, discount loans, contributions and so on. Nothing illegal there, Congress runs like this all year.

Sounds more like political theatre than a crime.

This sounds like a play by the Secretary of State to win some political points than anything else. Consider the following:

1. No money changed hands.
2. No bids were actually placed.
3. The Secretary of State is an elected official.
4. The SoS office is playing this up big with statements about VFWs and trivializing votes like they caught some big criminal here.
5. The ebayer is some dumb college kid who's either making a statement, or a dumb joke, or both.

As far as the "people died to preserve your right to vote", I'd say those people also died to protect peoples rights of expression. This dumb stunt sounds a lot more like expression than an honest attempt at vote selling and profiteering.

The Real Travesty.

"Fundamentally, we believe it is wrong to sell your vote," said John Aiken, a spokesman for the office. "There are people that have died for this country for our right to vote, and to take something that lightly, to say, 'I can be bought.'" [...] "It's a real shame"

I'm sorry, but my grandfather fought in both Korea and Vietnam, received the Purple Heart, and rose to the rank of Command Sargent Majour. He was also a life long Republican and a staunch Conservative. Old School Conservative, not this 'neo-con' crap.

And my grandfather, one of those men who fought and came close to dying for this right to vote, would find this person's arrest a travesty of what he fought for, because he also fought the that man's right to do whatever he wanted with his vote, include selling it.

Re:Children voting?

"Since when is a 19 year old, of age to vote, considered a "boy"?"

You must be under 25.