PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Casting a ballot has made one Philadelphia woman a winner.
Bridget Conroy-Varnis headed home from her South Philadelphia polling place Tuesday with an extra $10,000, thanks to The Philadelphia Citizen’s election lottery.
The editor of the online news site announced the lottery last month in an effort to reverse abysmal voter turnout and spark a conversation about civic engagement.
Larry Platt says the news site randomly chose the polling location – Murphy Recreation Center – and the time of 6:36 p.m., which was when Conroy-Varnis emerged from the rec center after voting.
Conroy-Varnis told reporters she was overwhelmed when Platt handed her the oversize check. She says she’ll donate some to charity and will use the rest to buy a used car.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
