The Importance of One Vote

(Matthew 22:21) "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."  Tuesday we have a very important election.  I was thinking about what Jesus said concerning rendering unto Caesar the things which are Caesars such as taxes, our service to the community, and to the military (if called upon), etc.  One of the privileges we have as Americans is the privilege to vote.  I recognize in the age in which we live both political parties are very disconnected from the average American.  They're in it for themselves.  I recognize it has come to a point it doesn't make much difference who you vote for because America's headed in the direction towards communism.  However, the right to vote is a God-given privilege in America.  It's our civic duty.  We have a responsibility to cast our votes for the direction we would like to see America go.  Regardless whether we're voting for candidates or ballot initiatives, we need to take the time to exercise our right to vote this Tuesday, November 2.  I found on a website a list of cases where one vote made the difference.  Many of us feel that our votes don't count because we're one vote in a sea of millions.  However, all votes do count and they could make a difference between a candidate being elected or defeated.  History has been made in cases where one vote made the difference.  History is replete of instances proving the enormous power of one single vote.  I'll list a few of the cases where just one vote made an incredible impact.

1.  In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.

2.  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. 

3.  In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German (at least according to folk lore.)

4.  In 1800, the electoral college met in the respective states to cast their two votes for President.  At that time, the U.S. Constitution provided the candidate receiving the most electoral votes would become President and the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes would become Vice President.  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. 

5.  In 1824, none of the four presidential candidates received an electoral majority.  The election was again thrown into the House of Representatives, where John Quincy Adams defeated front runner Andrew Jackson by one vote to become the nation's sixth president.  Andrew Jackson received the majority of the nation's popular vote. 

6.  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.

7. In 1846, a one vote margin in the U.S. Senate approved President Polk's request for a Declaration of War against Mexico.

8.  In 1850, California was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote.

9.  In 1859, Oregon was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote. 

10.  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.

11.  In 1868, one vote in the U.S. Senate saved President Andrew Johnson from being removed from office.

12.  In 1875, a one vote margin changed France from a monarchy to a republic. 

13.  In 1875, Florida's U.S. Senators were still elected by the state Legislature.  Democrat Charles W. Jones of Pensacola was elected by the U.S. Senate by a majority of one vote.

14.  In 1941, the Selective Service Act (the draft) was saved by a one vote margin--just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

15.  In 1948, if Thomas E. Dewey had gotten one vote more per precinct in Ohio and California, the presidential election would have been thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives where Dewey enjoyed more support than his rival--incumbent Harry Truman.  As it was, Dewey was expected to win the general election by a landslide so most Republicans stayed home.  Only 51.5 percent of the electorate voted.  Truman defeated Dewey.

16.  In the 1960 presidential election, an additional one vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, and Texas may have altered the course of America's modern history by denying John F. Kennedy the presidency and placing Richard Nixon in the White House eight years earlier. 

17.  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.

18.  Bills proposing amendment to the U.S. Constitution require a 2/3's vote of each House in order to be approved.  When the balanced budget amendment bill came before the U.S. Senate in March, 1995, the measure failed by one vote--Mark Hatfield, Republican from Oregon, was the sole Republican failing to vote with other members of the Republican Party which was the majority party of the U.S. Senators.  When it became apparent the measure would fail, Senate Republican Majority Leader Bob Dole changed his vote to enable him to bring the matter back up under parliamentary rules for a vote in the future.