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Next time you ask if one vote matters, consider:
- In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
- In 1649, one vote literally cost King Charles I of England his head.
The vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for -- the ax fell
thanks to one vote.
- In 1714, one vote placed King George I on the throne of England and
restored the monarchy.
- In 1800, when the results of the electoral college votes were opened
by both Houses of Congress, there was a tie vote for President
between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election of
President into the House of Representatives where Thomas Jefferson
was elected our third president by a one vote margin.
- In 1824, the House of Representatives defeated front runner Andrew
Jackson by one vote and elected John Quincy Adams as the nation's
6th president.
- In 1845, Texas was admitted to the union as a state by one vote --
that of Edward A. Hannigan from Indiana. The 1844 and 1845
excerpts on the series of single votes leading to Texas statehood are
from the book Magnificent Destiny.
- In 1846, a one vote margin in the U.S. Senate approved President
Polk's request for a Declaration of War against Mexico.
- In 1850, California was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote.
- In 1859, Oregon was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote.
- The Alaska Purchase of 1867 was ratified by just one vote -- paving
the way for the eventual annexation of America's largest state in
1958.
- In 1868, one vote in the U.S. Senate saved President Andrew
Johnson from impeachment.
- In 1889, by a one vote margin, Washington was admitted to
statehood with the union.
- In 1890, by a one vote margin, Idaho became a state.
- On November 8, 1923, members of the then recently-formed
revolutionary political party met to elect a leader in a Munich,
Germany beer hall. By a majority of one vote, they chose an
ex-soldier named Adolph Hitler to become the Nazi Party leader.
- In 1941, the Selective Service Act (the draft) was passed by a one vote
margin -- just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.
- In 1962, the governors of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota
were all elected by a margin of one vote per precinct.
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WORD OF THE WEEK |
vote (vot) n., a formal expression of preference or choice made in an
election.
Your vote counts.
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- In 1993, the U.S. Senate approved a tax increase by one vote.
- In
1994, the U.S. House of Representatives enacted a law banning
specific classes of assault weapons. The vote was initially tied but
one member changed his vote to approve the ban.
- In a 1999 city election in Hillsborough County, Florida, one of the city
council candidates won by a single vote!
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