two votes per gallon

Voters,

From the book I'm currently reading:
Susan Cheever, Drinking in America - Our Secret History, [Twelve, Hachette Books, New York, 2015], 258pp.

George Washington [of course, later the 1st President of the United States, who, by the way, loved parties and fox hunting] failed miserably in his first attempt at public office in 1755, to be elected to a seat in the Virginia Assembly, however, he wised up at his second attempt:

"Two years later he ran again, but this time he delivered 144 gallons of rum, punch and cider to the polling places distributed by election volunteers who urged voters to drink up. At 307 votes, Washington got a return on his investment of almost two votes per gallon. Most elections featured vats and barrels of free liquour as well as the candidate on hand to drink along with his constituency. Candidates showed off their generosity as well as their drinking capacity. Although voting while intoxicated was normal for the colonists, French traveller Ferdinand Bayard was horrified to notice 'Candidates offer drunkenness openly to anyone who his willing to give them his vote'".

The Miracle of Democracy at its very finest!

[Originally published 18-12-15)