Summary

In a battleground state like Colorado or New Mexico, voting in the presidential election may be equivalent to giving $30,000 - $50,000 to others in expected value, and as such is an extremely efficient form of charity, according to Aaron Edlin, Andrew Gelman and Noah Kaplan.

Recommended Citation

Edlin, Aaron S.; Gelman, Andrew; and Kaplan, Noah (2008) "Vote for Charity's Sake," The Economists' Voice: Vol. 5 : Iss. 6, Article 6.
DOI: 10.2202/1553-3832.1381
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol5/iss6/art6

Related Files

probdecisive.pdf (161 kB)
"What is the probability your vote will make a difference?"

Readers' Reactions

Lea Kosnik, Letter: Regarding Voting for Charity's Sake (February 2009)