Extraordinary Observations

I was already out the door of the polling place and on my way to work Tuesday morning when I realized I didn't receive an "I voted" sticker. After arriving at work and noticing various individuals walking around with red stickers on their shirts, I logged onto my Twitter account and jokingly posted about my disappointment for not getting one of those stickers. A follower quickly tweeted back, saying: no free Starbucks for you today. I immediately remembered an article I had read the previous day about freebies that companies were giving out on election day:

Several national food chains with Northeast Ohio locations will offer free treats today to celebrate democracy.

Ben & Jerry's, which has a store on North Park Boulevard in University Heights, will give away cones from 5 to 8 p.m., no proof of voting required.

Krispy Kreme, which has stores on Pearl Road in Middleburg Heights and on Maple Street in Akron, will award you a star-shaped, blue-and-red-sprinkled doughnut. But first, they want to see your "I voted" sticker.

Eat'n Park, which has restaurants throughout the region, will give away free coffee for an "I voted" sticker. And Starbucks, which has stores everywhere, wants you to tell baristas you voted.

At first I didn't think anything of it, nor did I take advantage of any of these "celebrations of democracy", but I started thinking... why are these companies doing this? What do they have to gain? If you believe in the power of PR, then perhaps these companies are doing this to generate some sort of corporate goodwill. What better way to show you care about democracy and America than to give out free coffee and donuts to people who vote? If you believe in the power of the almighty dollar, then perhaps these companies are giving away freebies to get you in the door, expecting to sell you plenty of stuff you wouldn't have otherwise bought? But if you are a true cynic, you might believe that the election-day giveaways are a statement about the consumer driven society we live in. When America was attacked on 9/11, George Bush told us to go shopping at the mall; earlier this year when the US economy was on the edge of recession, government cut everyone a $600 check and told them to buy a big-screen TV; now, on election day, we are rewarded for exercising our civic right and priceless responsibility by getting "stuff" in return.

It turns out the universe was in equilibrium on election day, as one of my co-workers received two stickers after voting, and gave the extra one to me.