| History proves to us that one vote absolutely does matter.
In 1829 in Kentucky, Nicholas Coleman defeated Adam Beatty 2,520 to 2,519. In 1847 in Indiana, George G. Dunn defeated David M. Dobson 7,455 to 7,454. In 1847 in Virginia, Thomas S. Flournoy defeated his opponent 650 to 649. In 1854 in Illinois, James C. Allen defeated William B. Archer 8,452 to 8,451. In 1882 in Virginia, Robert M. Mayo defeated George T. Garrison 10,505 to 10,504.
The greatest upset in American Presidential history is the 1948 election in which Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas Dewey.
Here's where the power of one vote comes in.
In 1948 there were 9,247 voting precincts in Ohio. Truman won the state by just 7,107 votes. Had just one Truman voter in each precinct voted for Dewey or had one Truman voter in each district decided to stay home and not vote -- Dewey would have won the state and its 25 electoral votes.
The situation in California was similar. There were 16,802 voting precincts and Truman won the state by just 17,865 votes. Imagine if just one Truman voter in each precinct had instead voted for Dewey. Subtract 16,802 votes from Truman's total of 1,913,134 and add them to Dewey's total of 1,895,269. The result? California's 25 electoral votes go to Dewey: 1,912,071 to 1,896 ,332.
Obama Benefits from Women's Vote
Nationally it is estimated that Senator Obama received 35,900,000 votes from women and 27,800,00 from men.
The results of the election for President of the United States held on November show that 56 percent of women voted for Barack Obama compared with 49 percent of men. According to Dr. Heida Hartmand, founder of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), "This 7-point gender gap combined with women's greater turnout was a major factor in the election's result. The same is true in some key battleground states, where women were also the majority of voters."
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In 2008. 65.7% of women and 61.5% of men voted. That's 70.4 million women and 60.7 million men- a difference of 9.7 million.*
In 2004, 60.1% of women and 56.3% of men voted. That's 67.3 million women and 58.5 million men - a difference of 8.8 million.*
In 2000, 56.2% of women and 53.1% of men voted. That's 59.3 million women and 51.5 million men - a difference of 7.8 million.*
In 1996, 55.5% of women and 52.8% of men voted. That's 56.1 million women amd 48.9 million men - a difference of 7.2 million.*
The gender gap cuts across all major demographic factors, including marital status, race, income, age and education. In a closely divided nation, even small shifts in the political choices of men and women can have significant electoral consequences.
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