Vote And Get Even MORE Free Stuff

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A couple of days ago, Michelle Steele wrote about how you can get some free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a Krispy Kreme donut just for voting!  Now Starbucks has gotten into the action with their announcement that anyone who votes on Tuesday can get a free 12 ounce cuppa Joe (Java, not “the Plumber”).  Starbucks chose a unique way to announce their promotion – by buying a 60 second commercial on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, which featured an appearance by John McCain.  Are they suggesting how you should vote for your coffee in a very subtle way?

But is it LEGAL?  It may not be, according to the Long Beach (California) Press-Telegram…at least in that state: 

Two nationwide efforts to reward voters with a free cup of coffee or a doughnut may run afoul of an obscure state law that bans gifts to the electorate in California.

Starbucks reportedly took out ads on NBC's most recent "Saturday Night Live" show to announce the inducement of a free cup of coffee to voters nationwide Tuesday. The New York Times reports that Starbucks is offering the free java Tuesday to anyone who says they voted.

Krispy Kreme's Internet page is offering a patriotic, five-pointed doughnut star, with red, white and blue sprinkles, to anyone showing the traditional "I Voted" sticker at participating locations.

Twenty years ago, a different doughnut company ran afoul of California Elections Code section 18521(b), which bans giving anything to people because they voted, or if they stayed away from the polls. A companion California statute contains similar language. Punishment is listed as a prison sentence of 16 months to three years.

The election law is apparently a vestige of Skid Row vote drives in bygone eras, when voters were reportedly plied with liquor and food to either induce them to vote, or to stay away from the polls.

Officials at Starbucks and Krispy Kreme could not be reached Saturday for their response, and it is not known whether anyone has ever been prosecuted for violating the law in recent years.

Kind of a silly law, but it actually has its roots in real American history and addresses what was once a commonplace abuse.  In the late 1700's and through much of the 1800’s, candidates for all kinds of public office routinely gave away liquor things in exchange for a vote, mostly jugs of whiskey!

So, vote and then build yourself a meal with plenty of sugar and caffeine!  As a public service, I’ve provided links to the store locators of Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme stores in the St. Louis area so you can get your goodies.

Vote! And, I hope your guy wins!