Tuesday 30 October 2012

Interesting Facts About U.S. Presidential Elections

Shane Hall(contributor)
Shane Hall is a writer and research analyst with more than 20 years of experience. His work has appeared in "Brookings Papers on Education Policy," "Population and Development" and various Texas newspapers. Hall has a Doctor of Philosophy in political economy and is a former college instructor of economics and political science.
The presidential election, held every four years, is the most closely watched and widely publicized of all U.S. elections. It is the one truly national election in American politics. History was made in 2008, with the election of Barack Obama as the nation's first African-American president, but as the following piece demonstrates, American presidential elections are full of interesting facts and trivia.

  1. Misconceptions

    • When voters cast their ballots in the presidential election, they are not voting directly for their preferred candidate but for a slate of their state's electors to vote for that candidate. The electoral vote, held about a month after the November election, decides the presidential race.

    History

    • If no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House of Representatives decides the election. This has happened twice in American history: in 1800, when Thomas Jefferson won, and again in 1824, when John Quincy Adams was election.

    Significance

    • It is possible for a candidate to win the most popular votes and still lose the electoral vote. Just ask Al Gore, who won the largest share of the popular vote in 2000, but still lost to George W. Bush.

    Fun Fact

    • James Buchanan, elected in 1856, is the nation's only bachelor president to date. No word, however, on whether he left his socks and underwear on the floor of the presidential mansion.

    Identification

    • In 2008, Barack Obama was elected the nation's 44th president. However, only 43 individuals have held the office. Grover Cleveland was elected twice to nonconsecutive terms; first as the 22nd president and later as the 24th.

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