Summer 1984 Home   Newsletters

Fall 1984

Spring 1985

Constitutional Amendments '84
Comparable Worth Update
Mahalo
League Talks to: Representative Ron Menor
Peter's Principles: You Can Make a Difference - VOTE! (Peter Herman)
League News and Voter Service - Maui MAL
League News and Voter Service - Kauai League
League News and Voter Service - Honolulu League
Marks for the League
Come Meet Your Elected Officials

Peter's Principles:

You Can Make a Difference - VOTE!

As League members well know, democracy is not a spectator sport. The League has promoted this principle since its inception in 1920. One of our major purposes is to promote participation in the civil life of this country and to stimulate activity in public affairs, particularly registering and voting in every election.

It is easy to forget that only a minority of peoples on this planet Earth have the rights that Americans do to elect their leaders.

And every vote counts. Now I know some of you cynics out there are saying, "my one vote doesn't make a difference!" Well, listen to this:

In 1645 one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.

In 1868 one vote saved President Johnson from impeachment.

In 1923 one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.

In 1960 Richard Nixon lost the presidential election and John F. Kennedy won it by less than one vote per precinct.

In 1960, in a state assembly race in Nevada, the winner received 851 votes, the loser 850. A third candidate received 459 votes.

In 1962, in Newington, Connecticut, a state representative to the General Assembly was elected by one vote; the winner had 4,164, the loser 4,163.

In 1974, in the New Hampshire race for the U.S. Senate, Louis C. Wyman was declared the winner by 542 votes. After a recount, John A. Durkin was certified the winner by 10 votes. After a year of court battles and controversy, a special election was held. Durkin won by 26,269 votes.

In the 1982 race for Governor in Illinois, Republican Thompson and Democrat Stevenson each received 49 percent of the votes. Thompson was declared the winner by 5,074 (out of more than 3.8 million cast).

In 1978, I personally experienced the importance of every vote when my then boss, a state senator in California, lost by 90 votes out of 180,000. In fact, I later found at least 90 people who failed to vote and who would have given us victory. They thought their votes did not really matter.

Our voter service activities on the national, state and local levels attest to our continued success as a vital community organization.

So help get out the vote!


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