Pulling the lever (and maybe the trigger) in Georgia

As we discussed in class, American elections perennially suffer from what is commonly viewed as low voter turnout. As described in this Denver Post article, one sporting goods store in Georgia is taking an interesting approach to combatting this electoral apathy. Adventure Outdoors has put up eight billboards around the state that "urge people to bring in their 'I voted' sticker to enter a raffle for a Glock handgun or Browning rifle."

After being notified by the secretary of state that the raffle might be a violation of state law, it has been opened to nonvoters as well, but the idea behind it fits neatly within our discussion of the costs and benefits of voting for individuals. By offering voters a chance at winning a firearm, the store's owner hopes to incentivize voting by increasing the potential returns to casting a ballot. However, using Johnson's methodology and accounting for the realistic probability of winning the raffle, the payoff is probably too low to affect most citizens' decision of whether to vote or abstain on Tuesday.