Ohio State Rep. Calls State’s Vaccine Lottery Program ‘A Gross Misuse of Taxpayer Dollars’
Ohio state Rep. Jena Powell (R) is taking aim at the state’s Vax-a-Million campaign. States are starting to turn to lottery campaigns to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In Ohio, the Vax-a-Million campaign…
Ohio state Rep. Jena Powell (R) is taking aim at the state’s Vax-a-Million campaign.
States are starting to turn to lottery campaigns to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Ohio, the Vax-a-Million campaign was launched on May 13 in an effort to “increase awareness of the availability and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and provide incentives to Ohioans to get a COVID-19 vaccination.” The first of five drawings will be on May 26.
However, a state representative is speaking out against the state’s vaccine lottery program.
Speaking to CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Monday, Powell said, “The Vax-a-Million lottery is a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Keilar noted that there has been a jump in vaccinations in Ohio because of the lottery program. She broke down the numbers, saying that about 32 ICU stays with a ventilator will cost $1 million “and the cost of this lottery is less than a dime per Ohioan.”
Powell, however, pushed back, “Correlation is not always causation.”
She later added, “It feels like a bribe to Ohioans … don’t want gimmicky programs.” Additionally, Powell declared that she is not against the vaccinations, but the lottery itself.
Powell is wanting to end the whole lottery, as she plans to propose