[lit-ideas] American presidential election oddities
- From: Chris Bruce <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 10:54:42 +0200
Well, I've overcome my 'laziness' and looked up answers to my questions.
"In 2000, one of the District of Columbia voters turned in a blank =20
ballot. Barbara Lett-Simmons told The Washington Post 'it is an =20
opportunity for us to make blatantly clear our colonial status and the =20=
fact that we've been under an oligarchy.'
"Lett-Simmons was required by D.C. law to vote for the candidate who =20
received the most popular votes. Twenty-six states have similar laws. =20=
In 24 states, electors may vote for any candidate.
"On a few occasions, a "faithless elector" has voted for another =20
candidate. In 1988, a voter from West Virginia cast a ballot for Lloyd =20=
Bentsen instead of Michael Dukakis. In 1976, an elector from Washington =20=
voted for Ronald Reagan instead of Gerald Ford.
"Although some states threaten "faithless electors" with penalties, no =20=
one has ever been prosecuted."
From:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/electoral.college/=20
more.html
And here are figures for voter turn-out (one statistic that I find =20
interesting is that the lowering of the voter age did not result in an =20=
increase in voter turn-out):
Turnout Year
62.8% 1960 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0John F Kennedy
61.9% 1964 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Lyndon B Johnson
61.6% 1952 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Dwight D Eisenhower
60.9% 1968 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Richard M Nixon
59.3% 1956 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Dwight D Eisenhower
58.9% 1940 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Franklin D Roosevelt
56.9% 1936 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Franklin D Roosevelt
56.0% 1944 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Franklin D Roosevelt
55.2% 1972 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Richard M Nixon
55.1% 1992 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Bill Clinton
53.5% 1976 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Jimmy Carter
53.3% 1984 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Ronald Reagan
52.8% 1980 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Ronald Reagan
52.5% 1932 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Franklin D Roosevelt
51.2% 2000 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0George W Bush
51.1% 1948 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Harry S Truman
50.3% 1988 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0George Bush
48.9% 1996 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Bill Clinton
The minimum voting age through 1968 was 21, and afterwards 18,
except 18 in Georgia from 1944 and Kentucky from 1956, and
19 in Alaska and Hawaii from 1960.
From:
http://www.campvishus.org/PresElectoralVTurn.htm
Chris Bruce
Kiel, Germany
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