Comment Text:
I urge the CFTC to deny this application. Elections are the lifeblood of our nation's democracy, and I ask for this denial due to the fact that elections should be insulated from the realm of business and treated as a civic responsibility.
Allowing wagering may further erode the trust that the public has towards government branches. We need to make sure that there isn't even an appearance of possible incentives to interfere in the outcome of elections, but that elections serve solely as a way of amplifying the voice of our citizens.
In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln spoke about our democratic way of governing as being "of the people, by the people, and for the people." He urged the nation to protect this form of government. Please do now weaken this bedrock principle of our democracy by blurring the lines between election results and private-sector wagering around these results.
