Election day is finally here. With tens of millions of votes cast before today, turnout is shaping up to be record breaking amidst a pandemic that has upended Americans’ daily life. The massive increase in voting by mail means that states have a daunting task in front of them to get votes counted. Many officials have been trying to set expectations that we may not know the winner of the presidential election today because of all of this counting. The 2020 election is certainly shaping up to be one of the most unique we’ve seen, and if we may not have results today, why not learn about some of the other distinctive elections that have occurred across our country’s history?
1788: An Unrepeatable Win
In the country’s first presidential election there was only one choice, and that was for who would become Vice President. This is because George Washington ran unopposed. It’s the only time in the history of the United States that this has occurred, and there doesn’t look to be a repeat of these events any time soon.
1800: A Tie?
Before the advent of official presidential tickets, the candidate with the most electoral votes would become president and whoever had the second most would be vice president. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied. Advocating against Burr, Alexander Hamilton was able to convince the House of Representatives that Jefferson should be President, which was the final outcome. While Vice President, Burr then killed Hamilton in a duel.
1872: Unopposed Again
Ulysses S. Grant enjoyed a relatively easy reelection campaign that turned into another unopposed run at the presidency as his opponent, Horace Greeley, died before election day. It remains the only time a candidate has died during an election. Greeley did receive votes though, that would later be split amongst other candidates, so Grant didn’t match the shutout that Washington say in the country’s first election.
2000: Who is Chad?
In the 2000 election, we all became familiar with the name for the small piece of paper that’s punched out of a ballot to mark a choice, the chad. This too close to call election centered around Florida, where a recount effort had to determine if so called ‘hanging chads,’ or pieces that weren’t cleanly punched through the ballot were enough to indicate that a vote had been cast properly. The Supreme Court eventually stepped in to stop recount efforts.
2020: The COVID Election
This list wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging our current situation. While mail-in voting is standard in many states, for others it’s a completely new experience. When all is said and done, the 2020 election may have more votes cast than any other presidential election in history. In fact, states like Texas already surpassed their vote counts for the previous election thanks to early voting. As in 2000, there will be fights over vote counting (although with the timing of a first count, not recounts).
No matter your political affiliation, we encourage you to vote today if you haven’t already. Not only are Americans voting for the next president, but they’re also voting for representatives and on many local issues where it’s important for their voices to be heard. Please vote and be safe.
About the Author: Chris Mack
Chris is a Marketing Manager at Extract with experience in product development, data analysis, and both traditional and digital marketing. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University and has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. A passionate marketer, Chris strives to make complex ideas more accessible to those around him in a compelling way.