Can one vote make a difference?

[proud2BlibKansan]

I got this in an email today and thought it was well worth sharing here.

We are coming down to the wire. It has been shown (by Republicans)
that elections are won in the last couple of weeks of the campaign.
We need every available body to help in canvassing or phone banking
this weekend, through next week and next weekend and especially on
election day.

Will you help us win this election for candidates all up
and down the Democratic ticket and for ourselves?

Time is getting short. Campaign is heating up. Talent is going
negative. We have to dig out every vote to make sure Claire wins in
November. It was pointed out recently, 1 more vote from every
precinct for Ms. Carnahan in the 2002 election and Talent would not be
in congress today. Can one vote make a difference?

-in 1645 - one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
-in 1649 - one vote caused Charles 1 of England to be executed.
-in 1776 - one vote gave America the English language instead of
German.
-in 1845 - one vote brought Texas into the Union.
-in 1868 - one vote saved President Andrew Jackson from impeachment.
-in 1876 - one vote changed France from monarchy to a republic.
-in 1923 - one vote gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.

If you could turn one voter; how important is it?...think about it. We
need all the help we can get.

[Hosnon]

1. The value of one vote increases the more evenly divided the electorate

is...

One vote these days means A LOT.

[dflprincess]

2. One vote in the Tennessee legislature

gave women the right to vote (the representative listened to his mother, rather than his party bosses)

One vote per precinct would have made Hubert Humphrey president instead of Nixon.

[ACK]

3. A ton of races are tight!!! We have to get out the vote!

I live in VA and they even changed my damn polling place on me so I am talking to my liberal friends making sure they know and they understand how to get to the new poling place.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. In one of the Democratic state House primaries here in Alaska

this August the two candidates actually tied (after two recounts) and the winner had to be determined by a coin toss. Every vote DOES count.

[JeffR]

7. Hey, Blue. Was just going to PM you

I just made a pitch for Diane Benson in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2492923

But you can do a much better job than I can. Not to take away from Laesch and Duckworth, of course, but...

[Blue_In_AK]

9. JeffR, you are truly a prince.

I don't know if you read or if I told you that Diane has closed the gap to 9 points now, up from -15 last week. This is the closest anyone has EVER been to catching up with Don in the 32 years he's been in Congress. We are all feeling very optimistic here. If you get a chance listen to her on Thom Hartman www.airamerica.com this morning at 10:20 Alaska time, which I believe is probably 2:20 where you are (you're on Eastern time?)

[JeffR]

13. Thanks. We are Eastern. Will tune in for sure.

Great news about the poll. Depending on the MOE, she may be closer still, and there's time for more bad news to surface about Don's connections to crooks. Love it!

:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Well, she didn't get much time

but she got the word out anyway. Any exposure is good exposure at this point.

Again, JeffR, thanks for all you've done.

[Infinite Hope]

5. It's important to vote, but those facts are false...

Claim: To impress upon readers the importance of casting their votes, lists circulate that perpetuate a variety of "one vote" canards; e.g.;

* In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
* In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.
* In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.
* In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union.
* In 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
* In 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi Party.
* In 1941, one vote saved Selective Service - just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Status: All the above claims are false.

Explanation at link below:

http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/onevote.htm

[Blue_In_AK]

10. It IS true that we had a primary determined by a coin toss

though. http://www.adn.com/front/story/8235207p-8132042c.html

[Hippo_Tron]

12. Yup, urban legend I guess, the Andrew Johnson one is true though

Which was left out of the e-mail the OP got for some reason.

[NoPasaran]

14. Actually, Johnson WAS impeached

He was saved by one vote in the Senate from being convicted and removed from office.

[Hippo_Tron]

15. That's what I meant

He was impeached and one vote away from being removed by the Senate.

[Eric J in MN]

6. Spread the word that the election is on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.

If you have a website, put "Election Day is Tuesday, November 7, 2006" on top of the homepage.

If not, email a reminder to acquaintances who might vote for Democrats.

[choop]

8. Sources?

These are outrageous claims. Maybe they're true-- do you have a source we can check to verify them?

[Infinite Hope]

17. See Comments Above. They're Urban Legend. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

11. IMO, it's not one vote it's the attitude

One person deciding not to vote doesn't make a difference. One million people with that same attitude does make a difference. You can't change the country's attitude if you don't change your own first. That's why I think one vote makes a difference.

[LiberalFighter]

18. Correct... how many people believe their one vote doesn't make a difference?

They add up.

Even if it isn't one vote... a difference in a few votes could still result in a reversal of the results with a recount.

The other way to look at it is that for everyone that doesn't vote... the votes of the person(s) that do vote is equal to more than one vote.

[Guava Jelly]

19. That is way to cool!!

I admit when i saw the title I was going to come in guns a blazing like it was a vote deterant thread :)
I am so pleasantly suprised :)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. 2000 Chimp wins by one vote.