Street money is money which is used to influence the outcome of an election by essentially buying votes. In many areas, the practice of outright vote buying is forbidden, but street money can take advantage of a variety of loopholes and officials who are willing to look the other way. Many people consider the practice to be highly questionable, since it is a bit unethical, and several politicians have taken a firm stance on the issue, refusing to disburse street money because they feel it is undemocratic.
When politicians distribute this money, they typically disburse large funds to local party offices and organizers, rather than handling the money themselves. The local party office can decide how best to the distribute the money, based on the community involved and the amount of funds available. By divorcing themselves from the practice, politicians can also claim ignorance, saying that they didn't know how the money would be used.
In one form of street money disbursement, voters are offered cash or other compensation, such as food, for voting. In these instances, voters are not explicitly told how to vote, but the implications are clear: by accepting money from a particular campaign, a voter does take on a sort of obligation to vote for that campaign. Another distribution technique involves paying people for work they don't actually do, thereby concealing the fact that street money is involved. For example, someone might be given cash for working as a phone canvasser, when in fact he or she did not work for the campaign.
The money can also be used to influence people who are prominent in a community. By offering funds to these individuals, a campaign hopes to buy their endorsement and support, mobilizing these people and the organizations they work with to get out the vote on election day. In this case, street money can be distributed in a variety of ways, ranging from grants to community organizations to outright cash payments.
As a general rule, street money is targeted at low-income, minority neighborhoods. It takes advantage of poverty and a lack of knowledge about the rules of politics to manipulate the vote, using the masses of these communities to skew election results in the favor of a particular campaign. This practice is also extremely widespread in politics, and it is very difficult to police, making it tempting even for otherwise ethical politicians who may feel like they cannot win an election without street money.