“Swilling the planters with bumbo” – a brief history of alcohol and Election Day

Pardon? Swilling the who with what??

In the late 18^th century, and throughout the 19^th, it was common convention in U.S. elections to provide alcohol in exchange for votes, although this practice dates back much further including to ancient Greece and Rome. Even George Washington got wise to the tradition after losing his 1755 bid for the Virginia legislative assembly and coming back bigger (and boozier?) two years later. By doling out 144 gallons of beer, rum, hard cider and punch (the aforementioned bumbo), the American Fabius floated into the state house with 307 votes – enough to secure victory and equating to roughly .5 gallons of alcohol per vote.¹

Consider the planters effectively swilled, and the bumbo eagerly guzzled.

Stuffing bellies to stuff the ballot box grew into hosting gargantuan barbecues in the latter half of the 19^th century. And while campaign booze budgets grew, so also did the number of saloons. One estimate places Peak Saloon in 1900 at 300,000 locations, or 18 for every Starbucks location in the U.S. today.²

Talk about outlet density.

While the reputation of saloons of the day is about as clean as the water was, in the very least, they served as a forum for the exchange of ideas and political Festivus. As a result, political parties regularly set up shop there as a ground game tactic to engage would-be voters.

Not only could ideas be debated, but ballots cast as saloons often served as polling places alongside fire stations, livery stables and warehouses. By the late 1800s in New York, it was estimated that nine out of ten polling places in immigrant neighborhoods were in saloons.³

While levity and jolliness may have been the calling card of early colonial Election Day revelry, a more sinister atmosphere materialized in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries including voter intimidation, bribery, fraud and cooping.⁴

With the ratification of the 18^th Amendment and the enactment of Prohibition, bar tabs covered by candidates officially fell by the wayside alongside liquor-funded ballots. An entirely different meaning of the term “wet voter.”

Following the repeal of Prohibition, many states continued a ban on the sale of alcohol on Election Day until the polls closed. In 2014, South Carolina became the last state to repeal this statewide ban. While similar laws exist in Massachusetts and Alaska, local governments are allowed to permit sales should they so choose.⁵

Alcohol’s history with Election Days-past is a great reminder of the dynamic role it has played in the history of American policy as well. So this Election Day, if you’re so inclined, watch the results from the polls while enjoying your favorite libation. Just remember not to try to influence anyone’s vote with the promise of a swig.

“Swilling the planters with bumbo” – a brief history of alcohol and Election Day

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