Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/04/26/cities-are-using-ballot-bins-that-allow-smokers-to-vote-on-questions-by-depositing-their-cigarette-butts.html
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Not the worst model example of ‘modern’ skewed polling generally. first divide the populace into those who willingly answer an out-of-area unknown phone number and take a survey (in this case, smoke tobacco), and all the rest of the population of whom we will remain entirely ignorant of their opinions.
Then take the number of completed surveys …er, cigarette butts, square root that, take the reciprocal, multipy by 100, and list it in the tiniest font as the “MOE” or margin of error. which, of course, is totally bogus as that calculation requires everyone possible to be sampled equally …ah well, gotta report on something.
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the only bad thing about this is that it only polls smokers, haha
nonsense! just pick up a few discarded cigarettes, and you’re good to go.
( spit and lipstick encrusted, with your bare hands 
)
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I’ve seen coffee shops do something similar with tip jars. For example, having two tip jars bearing the logos of local rival sports teams to encourage customers to dig into their wallets to ensure their favorite team’s jar fills up first.
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oh, brilliant. especially if you pick two things people get really invested in, like sports teams.
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Too bad “doting” is already a word, because it would make an excellent portmanteau of donating and voting.
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Is that over the whole length of main st, a city block, or just the area directly in front of the ballot bin? 
Perhaps, by a impoverished and addicted person trying to net a few unfinished treats.
Final thought: reducing litter is great but we ought to be very careful about anything that even bumps the needle on the coolness meter or otherwise normalizes smoking.
vonating isn’t half bad as these things go.
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