Paying for Support (votes) was rampant

Call me naive, but I was curious why a voter told me they supported me and was voter number "147". The voter number is the number they were in line at the polls. Why would they know their "voter number" and why would they care? It turns out that some campaigns participated in paying about $40 of "street money" to "volunteers" to sit around in campaign t-shirts and vote for a certain candidate. The voter number is one way they verify the voter voted. While they cannot confirm the volunteer voted for that candidate, the campaigns hope the money will persuade volunteers to vote for the candidate and keep the gravy train coming in the future. It is an old and outdated way of doing business and one I feel is missing the real opportunity to obtain real support by speaking to the minds and hearts of voters rather than their wallets. Money is powerful, but it is limited. Someone with more money can come along and steal those "votes". Winning minds and hearts is more powerful, less expensive and can last a lifetime. When I spoke to people receiving street money, they were hungry for a different choice and different way. With the proper leadership and courage I am confident we can reach the minds and bodies of these "volunteers" and put an end to paying for supposed "loyalty". For more on street money and paying for votes, read this article in the Jersey Journal titled Some campaign 'volunteers' go where the green is