Most of us with a TV or internet connection are aware that it’s an election year, and that it will most likely come down to Red vs. Blue on election night in November. We’re also probably all aware of what our aunts, best friends, coworkers, favorite actors, and parents think about the Red or Blue Candidate, the people who support them, and how the election will play out. If you’re looking for something new to bring to the table without taking a side, here are 25 Little-Known Facts About US Elections That Will Probably Surprise You.
10
The last Third Party president to be elected was Abraham Lincoln in 1860. So the next time someone tells you a Third Party vote is a wasted vote, you can ask them if they’ve heard of Abraham Lincoln.
Source: http://www.greatreality.com, Image: Commons.wikimedia.org
9
Ronald Reagan won 49 out of 50 states In the 1984 Presidential Election against Walter Mondale. The only state Mondale won was Minnesota, his home state.
Source: http://uselectionatlas.org, Image: en.wikipedia.org
8
The first woman to run for president was Victoria Woodhull, who ran in 1872 with the Equal Rights Party. She was a very controversial figure for her time, not only because of her outspoken activism on behalf of women’s suffrage, but because of her many known affairs, some with members of the clergy.
Source:http://womenshistory.about.com/, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
7
Astronauts vote via secure email on a Harris County, Texas ballot, as most astronauts live near ground control in Houston.
Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/, Image: en.wikipedia.org
6
A third party candidate needs to reach 15% in national polls to be included in the televised debates with the Republican and Democratic candidates. The last candidate to do this was Ross Perot in 1992, who participated in debates with President George Bush Sr. and then Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton.
Source: http://reason.com/, Image: en. wikipedia.org
5
The first televised debate was in 1960 between John F Kennedy and Richard M Nixon. John Kennedy would go on to win the election and become the 35th President of the United States.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
4
In Florida, Kentucky, and Iowa, anyone with a Felony conviction is permanently banned from voting. In Vermont and Maine, everyone of legal age is allowed to vote, regardless of criminal history (those currently serving time may vote via absentee ballot). Other states vary between these two extremes, some depending on what crime was committed, some allowing those on parole to vote, others allowing those no longer in prison or on parole to vote.
Source: https://www.aclu.org, Image: www.pixabay.com user: babawawa
3
Women were never prohibited from voting in the Constitution. However, many states chose not to allow women to vote. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, stating that no state could deny someone a vote based on their sex.
Source: http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/, Image: en.wikipedia.org
2
Martin Van Buren was elected the 8th President of the United States. He was the first President to be born in an independent United States, as the seven previous presidents had been born subjects of the British Crown. His win was the third in a row for the Democratic party, and the first time the US elected two different Democratic Party presidents in a row. The last time this happened was in the 1960’s, when Lyndon B Johnson took over the presidency after John Kennedy was assassinated, and then won the election of 1964 in his own right.
Source & Image: en.wikipedia.org
1
One of the first records we have of a woman seeking a voice in elections were Abigail Adam’s letters to her husband John Adams in 1776. She asked him to “Not put such unlimited power in the hands of husbands.” He replied, “We have only the name of masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat, I hope General Washington and all our brave heroes would fight.”
Source: http://www.thelizlibrary.org/suffrage/abigail.htm, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
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