Arizona To Vote On Election Lottery

In the last mid-term election [2002], only 56% of those registered in Arizona actually bothered to vote. Nationwide, the figure was 40%. Here in Texas, only 29% of registered voters cast a ballot. Secretary of State Roger Williams predicts that 36% of Texas voters will participate in the November 7th election this year.

These are not good numbers for a country that likes to think of itself as the world's leading democracy. But Mark Osterloh, an Arizona ophthalmologist and attorney, thinks he can change that. He has gotten a proposition on the November 7th ballot, that, if passed, would give $1 million dollars to one lucky voter. The winner would be chosen in a random drawing, and all you'd have to do to qualify for the drawing is vote.

Osterloh said, "We've got a real problem that everybody recognizes (and) we've got a real solution. It's like being able to win a door prize at a church social. You walk into the polls, get what amounts to a ticket and you may win a really big prize. Who can resist something like that?"

Under Osterloh's plan, one million dollar prize would be awarded every two years. The money would come from leftover cash from the Arizona Lottery.

Of course, there are naysayers. They say that voters should vote for lofty and idealistic reasons, and not because they might win a million dollars. I find the proposal interesting. No matter why a person votes, it is better to have a high turnout than a low turnout. If a person doesn't want a large turnout of what they call "ill-informed" voters, then I have to believe they are pushing an agenda that most people would object to. The higher the turnout we can achieve, the closer we'll be to being a real democracy.

Osterloh says if the proposal passes, he'd like to export the idea to other states. He said, "This is not just for Arizona. This could change the entire country. We could actually have a Congress and a president elected by the vast majority of people. Think of that. And it could all start this November in Arizona."