Attempt to Sway Election With Free Weed Goes Up in Smoke
Politics is on the mind of many people this time of year but one California community is taking their civic duty to new heights, with voter turnout for a recent local election hitting record levels. The reason? Free weed.
In the Los Angeles suburb of Eagle Rock, the number of voters turning up at the polls to vote in a recent city council election hit a record, ahem, high. In the days leading up to the election, an anonymous flier was distributed throughout town promising voters who could show they voted for the Progress and Collaboration Slate $40 worth of free medical (*wink, wink*) marijuana.
Almost 800 Eagle Rock residents turned out to vote, nearly ten times as many as usual. Incumbent city council members, who had recently voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in the community, say the flier was an attempt by pro-marijuana forces to hijack the election.
But, like many previous stoner political attempts, the effort was just half-baked. Only two of eight Progress and Collaboration candidates were elected.