Cards Against Humanity, known for their purposely in-poor-taste party game, is offering to pay certain voters up to $100 to cast a ballot in the upcoming November elections. Based in Chicago, the company publishes an adult card game where players fill in the blanks in a sentence with a word or phrase from their hand of cards, marketed as a “party game for horrible people.” The company launched an initiative to encourage people who did not vote in 2020 to participate in this year’s elections. The company created a website that asks for personal information to be checked against voter data purchased from a data broker.
If an eligible voter did not cast a ballot in 2020, Cards Against Humanity is offering a payout in exchange for certain actions. These include writing an apology for not voting four years ago, creating a plan to vote, and posting a pre-written disparaging comment about former President Donald Trump on social media. The company emphasized the importance of these nonvoters influencing election outcomes, pointing out Trump’s narrow loss in Georgia in 2020. Eligible voters across the nation can receive a payment, with larger amounts going to residents in battleground states. Proof of voting is not required to receive the payout, according to the terms of the promotion.
In addition to the cash incentives for voting, Cards Against Humanity is also offering a $7.99 card game expansion pack with an election theme, with proceeds going to the company’s super PAC, dubbed “Cards Against Humanity PAC.” This super PAC was registered as of Aug. 5, 2024, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. The move to incentivize voters comes in the wake of America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC backed by Elon Musk, urging people to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments and offering compensation for each registered voter they could get to sign in swing states. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate legal matter, Cards Against Humanity filed a lawsuit against Musk’s company SpaceX in September, alleging trespassing and property damage on land the card game had purchased in 2017 to block construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Musk’s America PAC has contributed over $96 billion to federal elections in 2024 so far this year, according to nonprofit political finance tracker OpenSecrets. The actions of both companies highlight the importance of voter engagement in elections and the various strategies employed to encourage voter participation in the political process.
