Did You VoteOrNot.org?

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Posted by michael on Tuesday September 7, 2004 @07:37AM from the if-you-don't-vote-you-can't-complain dept.

WhiskerBiscuit writes "The boys at Am I Hot or Not have started a sweepstakes to encourage people to register to vote. According to this blogger's analysis, the contest should encourage disempowered people to register (subject to the constraint that poor people don't have computers). The organizers have cleverly split the prize between a lucky winner and whoever happens to have referred them, providing a selection advantage for viral dispersal of the meme."

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Wonder Why? by romper · 2004-09-07 07:38 · Score: 5, Informative

In case you're wondering why they're doing this.

--
Right is wrong when left is right.
1. Re:Wonder Why? by IEEEmember · 2004-09-07 07:51 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Or you could believe the terms and conditions;
  By registering, entrants may sign up to receive email from Eight Days, Inc. ("Sponsor"). You can remove yourself from the email list by following onscreen instructions.
  
  Which is in direct conflict with the entry form;
  
  We only need the following info to contact you if you win. You will NOT get junk mail or spam for signing up.
2. Re:Wonder Why? by romper · 2004-09-07 07:56 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  For what it's worth, I've been a member of their site for a long time (even met a great girl on there), and have never gotten any spam from that signup other than the occasional message from them (and yes, I use unique addresses for different accounts to track this kind of thing), and you can remove yourself from their mailing list if you wish.
  
  I think what they mean is they're not going to be selling your information to anyone else.
  
  --
  Right is wrong when left is right.
Re:Virals and sweeps... by Lord+Kano · 2004-09-07 08:07 · Score: 3, Informative

The problem with viral campaigns like VoteOrNot is that it is too easy to have multiple on-line personalities. In these days, nobody has one email account... it's easy for one person to be a ton of people online. That's the problem the company will have.

They ask for your name, address and telephone number in addition to your email address. Most people don't have multiples of all of those too.

LK

--
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Vote randomly! by MobyDisk · 2004-09-07 09:11 · Score: 4, Informative

If you didn't vote in 2000, or know someone who hasn't then listen to this:

1) In 2000, national voter turnout was 51.3%. (Source http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html)
2) For a party to get federal funding, they need to get 5% or more.
3) That means that if the remaining 48.7% voted randomly then we could have a total of 11 parties running. (9 at 5% each, plus the standard 2).

11 parties nationally recognized in the US!!!! And all that has to happen is people must just vote - vote for anyone! Their dog! Their mom! Some weird-lookin' independent guy you hear about on the news now and then!

Ralph Nader wanted to get 5% of the vote in 2000, but only got 3%. That means 2% of the population could have just gotten up and made a powerful statement for change just by walking down the street to your nearest voting place, and pulled a random lever in a booth. You don't even have to agree with the guy.
(Source http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2000/11/09/Ne ws/Nader.Barely.Misses.Federal.Funding-700791.shtm l)

Anyhow, I encourage everyone to pass this on. That may make some of the apathetic voters go out and do some good. Having more alternatives would be a major help to the US election system. (Then, we can push for run-off elections so we can reduce the split-election problem)