10 fun election facts will make your day go faster! Election night has passed and we are all waiting with our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. In the mean time while we all wait on the edge of our seats, we thought we would help everyone enjoy 10 fun election facts. Maybe next time you can win some trivia with these facts.
10 Fun Election Facts While You Wait
1. It could end Biden/Pence or Trump/Harris
How does that work? If, although unlikely, the Electoral College were to tie (269 to 269) the House of Representatives would get the vote. 26 votes from the House of Representatives would decide the next president.
2. New Jersey allowed women to vote before 1920
Prior to 1807, single women could vote because the state constitution only said you had to be a state inhabitant over 18 to vote. That is, of course, until men ruined it by dressing up as women and voting multiple times in disguise. Women were stripped of the right to vote, and it was not returned until 1920 for white women and 1965 for Black women.
3. Why vote the first Tuesday of November?
Because rural Americans had to travel long distances to cast their votes, and no one was expected to travel on Sunday as it was a holy day.
4. Meet your new Vice President
Until 1804, whoever got the second most votes was named Vice President. The 12th Amendment changed this, thankfully. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln in 1864 that the idea of running mates came about.
5. George Washington did what?
George Washington is said to have bribed voters with alcohol on the day of the election for him. South Carolina was the final state to remove the ban on alcohol sales on election day in 2014.
6. Mandatory voting
Did you know in some countries, it is against the law to not vote? Costa Rica, Greece, and 20 other countries have laws making it mandatory to vote. This is in stark contrast to the United States, which had an about 60% voter turnout in 2016.
7. Selfie time
Justin Timberlake is rumored to have been the reason for the legalization of selfies while voting. It does, however, remain illegal to take images of completed ballots or while in the actual voting booth in many states.
8. Arbitrary tie-breakers
Some states have arbitrary tie-breakers, such as Nevada who will break ties with a deck of cards, or Iowa who will do a coin toss. Funny and would be fitting for 2020.
9. 1892 is when voting became secret
The first votes were actually cast by yelling out your candidates name. It wasn’t until 1892 when voting on secret ballots became important and privacy when voting became valued.
10. Some states are vote-by-mail only
Many west coast states including Washington, Hawaii, and Colorado are vote-by-mail only. Oregon tested the system out in 1981.
The election isn’t the only thing to worry about right now
Quarter 4 has begun for us all and it is time to spend every bit of focus and energy on getting through the holiday season. Check us out for some holiday help here and here.
