An Ice Cream Bribe At the Ballot Box?

By Michael Scherer | @michaelscherer | October 18, 2008 | +

Loyola Law School Professor Rick Hasen runs the best single blog for those who want to track the legal issues around the election. He flags a possibly illegal offer from Ben and Jerry’s, which is offering a free scoop of ice cream on Election Day for anyone who votes:

The problem is that paying for turnout—even in a civic minded gesture such as this one—is illegal in elections in which federal candidates are on the ballot. I’ve written extensively about the issue. The only out I see for the ice cream company is that one need not prove one voted; it is enough to say “I voted.” But if I were Ben and Jerry’s lawyer, I’d tell them to shut this down.

Also, for those trying to track the rapid proliferation of election-related lawsuits as we approach Nov. 4, take a look at the election law blog maintained by Moritz Law School.

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