[EL] Legality of Voting Incentives

[Gaddie, Ronald K.]

LOL

No, no, you pay more for tickets than tuition. ;)

"We want to have a university our football team can be proud of." George Lynn Cross, former president, the University of Oklahoma

Ronald Keith Gaddie, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science
Editor, Social Science Quarterly
The University of Oklahoma
455 West Lindsey Street, Room 222
Norman, OK  73019-2001
Phone 405-325-4989
Fax 405-325-0718
E-mail: rkgaddie at ou.edu
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/G/Ronald.K.Gaddie-1
http://socialsciencequarterly.org
________________________________
From: Smith, Brad [BSmith at law.capital.edu]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2012 11:56 AM
To: Gaddie, Ronald K.; law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
Subject: RE: Legality of Voting Incentives

Mr. Gaddie writes: “Why not reward them for going to a football game?”

I thought that was the policy at Oklahoma. ;-)

Bradley A. Smith
Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault
  Professor of Law
Capital University Law School
303 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 236-6317
bsmith at law.capital.edu<mailto:bsmith at law.capital.edu>
http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Gaddie, Ronald K.
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2012 12:05 PM
To: Primo, David; law-election at uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] Legality of Voting Incentives

Sounds unethical. The instructor is encouraging behaviors that s/he personally values, and rewarding people on their evaluation in the class.  Is voting part of the syllabus? Is it necessary to master the material?  Why not reward them for going to a football game? Or supporting certain charities? Or supporting your charity?

I love voting. But this example bothers me because the faculty member has departed from their charge and obligation.

Ronald Keith Gaddie, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science
Editor, Social Science Quarterly
The University of Oklahoma
455 West Lindsey Street, Room 222
Norman, OK  73019-2001
Phone 405-325-4989
Fax 405-325-0718
E-mail: rkgaddie at ou.edu<mailto:rkgaddie at ou.edu>
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/G/Ronald.K.Gaddie-1
http://socialsciencequarterly.org
________________________________
From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] on behalf of Primo, David [david.primo at rochester.edu]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2012 10:58 AM
To: law-election at uci.edu
Subject: [EL] Legality of Voting Incentives
A question for the list:  I recall in 2008 Starbucks and other companies were smacked down when they attempted to give free products on Election Day to anybody who said that they voted, as they seemed to be running afoul of federal laws regarding incentives for voting in federal elections.

But what about this real-world scenario that a colleague at another school relayed:  A faculty member has a policy of awarding an entire class extra credit if more than half of the class votes.  Is this an illegal inducement?  Does it matter that the reward is not tied to individual behavior but rather to collective behavior, so that you can get the extra credit even if you choose to free ride?

Dave

David M. Primo
Ani and Mark Gabrellian Professor
Associate Professor of Political Science and Business Administration
Director of Graduate Studies, Political Science
University of Rochester
Harkness Hall 318 (Political Science Dept.)
Rochester, NY 14627-0146
585.273.4779
Fax:  585.271.1616
david.primo at rochester.edu<mailto:david.primo at rochester.edu>
http://www.rochester.edu/College/PSC/primo

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