Pay the vote

I'll admit to some ignorance on the topic of the Ames Straw Poll. Primarily, I did not know that the Poll is really more of a fair with deep-fried delicacies and country music. But what really surprised me was that voters have to pay $30 to cast a ballot at Ames. And the most ridiculous part is that "Some campaigns are paying for their supporters to go vote."

This, of course, is the hallmark of democracy in action.