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Editorial
October 13, 1952
The Nome Nugget
Nome, Nome County, Alaska
What is this article about?
Editorial addressed to non-voting Alaskan eligible voters, urging them to exercise their vote to preserve democracy, citing historical examples where one vote decided presidential elections, statehood, and legislation.
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POWER OF ONE VOTE
This column is addressed to the nearly fifty per cent of eligible Alaskan voters who, election after election, fail to make the short journey to the polls to do their American duty. If you have been a regular voter and if you have planned to vote tomorrow, don't waste your time by reading any further.
And now with all dutiful citizens turned elsewhere in this newspaper, let us address the slackers:
Upon you depends the preservation of representative government and our capitalistic system. The trend which started several years ago with fewer and fewer people voting on Election Day, is alarming. Representative government can be perpetuated and individual freedom and responsibility preserved only when the majority of the people speak. In the Presidential election of 1948, less than half of the eligible voters in the United States went to the polls.
If you and the others who have shunned the polling booths do not soon begin to exercise your right to vote, the rule of the majority will become the rule of the few. This not only applies in our national government but is equally true in our territorial and municipal governments.
But, do we hear you say, "What good will my one little vote do?" That vote of yours is not a little vote, it is a powerful one. The value of one vote has many times proven to mean the election or defeat of a particular candidate; has meant the passing or defeat of an important piece of legislation for example:
The Alaska Statehood Bill was defeated in the last Congress by one vote.
Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States by one vote in the Electoral College.
John Quincy Adams got to be Chief Executive because of one vote.
Rutherford B. Hayes made the White House by one vote. His election was contested and referred to an Electoral Commission. Again his margin of victory was just one vote.
The States of California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington were taken into the Union by virtue of a single vote.
Yes, indeed, your vote is important. Remember:
Bad officials are elected by the good citizens who do not take the trouble to vote; that voting is your assurance of freedom; that your very future depends upon your vote on Election Day.
Whatever your choice, do your job exercise the power of that one ballot--vote tomorrow!
This column is addressed to the nearly fifty per cent of eligible Alaskan voters who, election after election, fail to make the short journey to the polls to do their American duty. If you have been a regular voter and if you have planned to vote tomorrow, don't waste your time by reading any further.
And now with all dutiful citizens turned elsewhere in this newspaper, let us address the slackers:
Upon you depends the preservation of representative government and our capitalistic system. The trend which started several years ago with fewer and fewer people voting on Election Day, is alarming. Representative government can be perpetuated and individual freedom and responsibility preserved only when the majority of the people speak. In the Presidential election of 1948, less than half of the eligible voters in the United States went to the polls.
If you and the others who have shunned the polling booths do not soon begin to exercise your right to vote, the rule of the majority will become the rule of the few. This not only applies in our national government but is equally true in our territorial and municipal governments.
But, do we hear you say, "What good will my one little vote do?" That vote of yours is not a little vote, it is a powerful one. The value of one vote has many times proven to mean the election or defeat of a particular candidate; has meant the passing or defeat of an important piece of legislation for example:
The Alaska Statehood Bill was defeated in the last Congress by one vote.
Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States by one vote in the Electoral College.
John Quincy Adams got to be Chief Executive because of one vote.
Rutherford B. Hayes made the White House by one vote. His election was contested and referred to an Electoral Commission. Again his margin of victory was just one vote.
The States of California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington were taken into the Union by virtue of a single vote.
Yes, indeed, your vote is important. Remember:
Bad officials are elected by the good citizens who do not take the trouble to vote; that voting is your assurance of freedom; that your very future depends upon your vote on Election Day.
Whatever your choice, do your job exercise the power of that one ballot--vote tomorrow!
What sub-type of article is it?
Suffrage
Partisan Politics
What keywords are associated?
Voter Turnout
Power Of One Vote
Elections
Representative Government
Civic Duty
What entities or persons were involved?
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
Rutherford B. Hayes
Alaska Statehood Bill
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Urging Voter Participation
Stance / Tone
Exhortative Pro Voting
Key Figures
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
Rutherford B. Hayes
Alaska Statehood Bill
Key Arguments
Voting Preserves Representative Government And Capitalism
Low Turnout Leads To Rule By The Few
One Vote Has Decided Elections And Legislation
Historical Examples: Alaska Statehood Defeated By One Vote
Jefferson, Adams, Hayes Elected By One Vote
States Admitted By Single Vote
Bad Officials Elected By Non Voting Good Citizens