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If watching 10 Democratic candi dates debate on a single stage made your head spin last night, you might have missed Andrew Yang’s announcement during his opening statement: He’s expanding his efforts to test a universal basic income (UBI) program.




Until September 19, you can enter to win $1,000 per month for a year—adding up to a sweet $12,000, the amount Yang proposes giving to every American adult each year. Ten winners will be randomly selected.

It’s not the first time Yang has handed money out to Americans like a presidential hopeful version of the Publisher’s Clearing House. He’s already giving $1,000 per month to a few families in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Florida, paid from his personal funds, according to Politico. The Florida winner was selected via Twitter.


You don’t need to make a campaign contribution to enter; all you need to provide is your name, email address, and ZIP code. Ten winners will be notified by the end of November 2020, although it’s unclear if and when the candidate plans to start handing out the cash before that fateful month. It’s likely that Yang will roll out the winners one by one, staggering them throughout crucial points in the campaign to drum up attention. After all, who doesn’t want to know who’s winning free money and why? I click on almost every news story about lottery winners, and I bet you do too.

There’s obviously a trade-off, so if you’re not sure you’re in the “Yang Gang” but want a shot at $12,000, be aware of this notable stipulation from the official rules. You’ll have to sign “a Publicity Release giving Sponsor permission to use, royalty-free, the name, hometown, and photographs and/or recordings of the winner in campaign promotional material or advertising.”

Yang is a big proponent of providing a guaranteed base income to every American adult, calling his program the Freedom Dividend. A value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services would fund the program, meaning you’d pay a bit more for purchases beyond essentials like groceries and clothing.


While critics of UBI say it’s an unnecessary handout, previous experiments in the U.S. and Canada showed only a slight decrease in the workforce, mostly due to a parent choosing to stay home with their children.