September 21, 2016
Judge Tom
0

Close elections and why you need to vote

one vote

We hope you’re planning to vote in this year’s presidential election. It comes on November 8, 2016 and your participation, if you’re of age, is crucial. There is a lot at stake and your future depends on every eligible American voting.

Consider the following examples from U.S. history where one vote made a difference:

  • There have been over 1,000 cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on a 5-4 vote: what would your life be like if the vote had gone the other way?
  • Some of those cases involved free speech, drug testing and swats at school, suspension and censorship of student journalists.
  • Thomas Jefferson became president in 1800 by one vote in the House of Representatives.
  • In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes became the nineteenth president by one electoral vote.
  • A few Supreme Court justices have either been approved or rejected by the Senate by one vote.

Remember, “The greatest weapon, perhaps, in the modern world is the power of the ballot.”  –W.E.B. Dubois, educator & civil rights activist

Photo by Ally Aubrey

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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