Does one vote really matter?

Some Americans don't vote because they think their vote doesn't matter. That couldn't be further from the truth! Throughout history, many important elections were decided by a single vote. Here's a list to consider when deciding whether or not to vote:

• One vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England in 1645.
• One vote caused King Charles I of England to be executed in 1649.
• One vote gave America the English language in 1776 instead of German.
• One vote margins in our Electoral College first elected Thomas Jefferson and then John Quincy Adams as President of the United States.
• One vote elected Marcus Norton as Governor of Massachusetts in 1839.
• One vote brought Texas into the Union in 1845.
• One vote also admitted California, Oregon and Washington to statehood.
• One vote defeated President Andrew Johnson's impeachment in 1868.
• One vote needed when the House of Representatives voted in 1876 to elect President Rutherford B. Hayes.
• One vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic in 1876.
• One vote elected Adolph Hitler as leader of the Nazi Party in 1923; and
• John F. Kennedy's margin of victory over Richard Nixon in 1960 was less than one vote per precinct.

As you can see, one vote is important! Be sure to do your part and get out and vote!

© 2006 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen