I'd swear I had put this post up, but it's disappeared. Oh, well.
An old time Republican politician here in Indiana told me of the following practice in Southern Indiana in the 30s, and swore it was the truth.
A Republican politician walks down the street in a rural Indiana hamlet in the thirties. (Paper ballots at that time, of course, and the Republican candidates were distinguished by an eagle icon, and the Democrats by a rooster.) He sees old Zeb, we'll call him, a Democrat out of a longtime Democratic family, come out of a bar. The following conversation occurs:
"Hi there, Zeb! Gonna vote tomorrow?"
"Yep, sure will!"
"I know you're a Democrat, Zeb, but would you vote Republican if I gave you five dollars?"
"Nope, not on yer life!"
"Well, I thought not. But if you're going to vote Democratic, you have no need for that Republican eagle on the ballot, do you?"
"Nope."
"Tell you what: You tear that eagle out and bring it to me, and I'll pay you five dollars for it."
"Okay."
This was known as "buying eagles", and was a way to invalidate Democratic votes. True! At least I was told it as true by a man who urported to know.