> To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal But this isn't a new feature of politics.

> To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal But this isn't a new feature of politics. It was equally true during, e.g., the period when Tammany Hall controlled New York, and vote buying was common then. When a political system is corrupted, law enforcement tends to be as well, and nominally illegal practices can flourish, even openly.