PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia voters now have extra incentive to go to the polls: They could win $10,000.
The editor of The Philadelphia Citizen on Thursday announced an election lottery. Larry Platt says one random voter will win the money Nov. 3, when residents vote for mayor.
The prize aims to reverse abysmal turnout and spark a conversation about civic engagement.
The online news site says turnout for mayoral elections in the heavily Democratic city has plummeted from 77 percent in 1971 to about 20 percent in 2011.
David Thornburgh heads the civic watchdog group Committee of Seventy and says he supports trying new ideas to spur more people to cast ballots.
This year, a voter education organization gave $25,000 to a random voter in a Los Angeles school board election.
