Election Day: 34% of People Would Sell Their Vote for $5K and 27% Want a Pet-Owning President

Here are some Election Day facts, stats, and silliness from the internet:

1.  In a poll, 21% of Americans say they’ve gotten into an argument over politics with a friend or family member within the past year. Another 9% have argued with a coworker . . . 6% have argued with their own spouse or partner . . . and 5% have argued with a neighbor.  60% of people say they haven’t argued politics with any of those people.

2.  15% of people say they regret how they voted in a previous election, and Boomers and Millennials are the two generations more likely to have regrets. And 12% of people say it’s “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that someday they will regret their vote in THIS year’s election.  And men are more likely to say that than women.

3.  An online poll asked people if they’d be willing to SELL their vote, and 34% said NO . . . they want to vote themselves, no matter the cost. But another 34% said they WOULD sell their vote . . . but they’d have to get at least $5,000 for it.  12% said they’d do it for $1,000 to $5,000.  And another 21% said they’d sell their vote for ANY amount.

4.  Another online poll asked if you’d give up your right to vote in exchange for “eternal luck.”  94% of people said YES to that.

5.  People were asked what they thought were the most important traits in a president, and the Top Eight were:  Their decision-making abilities . . . leadership skills . . . honesty . . . mental health . . . vision for America’s future . . . integrity . . . intelligence . . . and their ability to stay calm under pressure. The LEAST important were their personal wealth, and their physical attractiveness.  Also, 27% would prefer a president who’s a pet owner.

6.  14% of people believe America’s electoral system is the best in the world. Hold that thought, and we’ll check back in 24 hours.

5% of people say it’s the WORST in the world, and most people believe it’s probably “about average . . . a little better than average . . . or a little worse.”

7.  46% of people wish we could change to a straight popular vote, so that everybody’s vote counts exactly the same.  32% like the current system with the electoral votes . . . and 22% are “not sure.”

8.  57% of people say they believe this could be the most important election of their lifetime.  And another 18% believe it’s one of the more important ones. 15% say it’s about the same as any other presidential election . . . and 3% of people believe it’s actually LESS important than previous ones.

9.  35% of the eligible voters this year will belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, making the 2024 electorate the most diverse in U.S. history.

10.  Turnout in the U.S. has soared in recent elections . . . but America still trails many other countries.

In the 2020 presidential election, 62.8% of the voting-age population in the U.S. voted.  When compared against recent national elections in 49 other countries, the U.S. ranks 31st . . . between Colombia (62.5%) and Greece (63.5%).