What Does One Vote Mean?

History proves that every vote counts.

The one excuse heard most often for not voting in an election is, "my one vote won't make a difference." Yet history repeatedly proves the enormous power of one single vote.

• In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
• In 1649, by just one vote, England 's King Charles I literally lost his head when the vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for.
• In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.
• In 1800, one vote won Thomas Jefferson the electoral college vote.
• In 1820, one vote kept President James Monroe from being elected for a second term.
• In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the union.
• In 1846, one vote decided on war with Mexico.
• In 1867, one vote ratified the Alaska Purchase - paving the way for the territory to be America 's largest state.
• In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.
• In 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
• In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the U.S.
• By just one vote, California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho became states.
• In 1923, one vote gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi Party.
• In 1941, one vote saved selective service - just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.
• In 1948, one vote per precinct gave Harry Truman the presidency.
• In 1960, one additional voter per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Texas would have denied John F. Kennedy the presidency and placed Richard Nixon in the white house eight years sooner.