Election fun facts

Election 2012

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April 21, 2010

Election fun facts

Anonymous CNHI The Hendricks County Flyer Wed Apr 21, 2010, 12:29 PM EDT

Did you know ...

The presidential election process begins more than a year before Election Day with statewide elections called primaries and caucuses. In this warm up to the presidential elections, members of the same political party compete for their party’s presidential nomination. Based on the results of the primaries and caucuses, party delegates declare their presidential and vice presidential nominations.

To win the presidency, a candidate must earn more than half of the votes of the electoral college, which is an assembly of representatives of each state. The number of electors granted to each state equals the state’s number of elected members in Congress. Electors are supposed to cast their ballots based on the outcome of the popular vote (the vote of U.S. registered voters at the polls) in their state.

In the event that none of the candidates wins a majority of the electoral college vote, the winner is chosen by the House of Representatives.

Did you know ...

Why federal elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November?

This was initially established in 1845.

Why November? For much of our history, America was a predominantly agrarian society. Law makers therefore took into account that November was perhaps the most convenient month for farmers and rural workers to be able to travel to the polls. The fall harvest was over (remembering that spring was planting time and summer was taken up with working the fields and tending the crops), but in the majority of the nation the weather was still mild enough to permit travel over unimproved roads.

Why Tuesday? Since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant distance to the county seat in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable as many people would need to begin travel on Sunday. This would, of course, have conflicted with church services and Sunday worship.

Why the first Tuesday after the first Monday? Lawmakers wanted to prevent election day from falling on the first of November for two reasons. Nov. 1 is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation to Roman Catholics. In addition, most merchants were in the habit of doing their books from the preceding month on the 1st. Congress was apparently worried that the economic success or failure of the previous month might influence the vote of the merchants.

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Election 2012

Government class hosts candidate forum
PLAINFIELD — The We the People government class at Plainfield High School hosted a forum for those individuals running for the Plainfield School Board. The candidates — Sharon Dunlevy, Scott Flood, Dana Johnson, and David Mansfield — answered questions posed by moderators Michael Turinetti and Stacie Kammerling as well as some from the audience.

November 2, 2012 4 Photos
2012 Candidate profiles
November 1, 2012
Ellspermann makes pit stop in Avon
AVON — Neither inclement weather nor a train delay stopped potential Indiana lieutenant governor and current State Representative Sue Ellspermann from speaking to a small group of supporters and taking questions here at the Republican Victory Center.

October 25, 2012 4 Photos
Gubernatorial candidates square off in first debate
ZIONSVILLE — The first gubernatorial debate among Republican Mike Pence, Democrat John Gregg, and Libertarian Rupert Boneham started out cordially Wednesday night with common agreement on the need to boost jobs, strengthen education, and cut taxes.

October 11, 2012 3 Photos 1 Slideshow 1 Story
What’s next?
Wednesday’s debate was the first of five sponsored by the Indiana Debate Commission for the governor’s race and the U.S. Senate race.

October 11, 2012
Voting locations need to be verified
Hendricks County voters are being asked to confirm their voting location before heading to the polls on May 8.

May 7, 2012
Senate primary rivals in final push for voters
Inside his campaign headquarters in Indianapolis, there’s a photo of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar shaking hands with former U.S. Secretary Condoleeza Rice, one of the many Republican party heavyweights who’ve endorsed his return his office.

May 7, 2012
Noisy Senate race not generating early voting
Indiana’s hotly contested Republican Senate primary race has generated more than $12 million in campaign spending, including a record-topping $4 million in outside dollars.

May 7, 2012
Mourdock vs. Lugar
Of all the words written about the showdown between U.S. Senator Richard Lugar and State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, this headline from a recent news story may sum it up best: “Indiana’s GOP Senate Primary Will Be A Doozy.”

May 7, 2012
Meet the candidates
Candidates running for office in the May 8 Primary Election were invited by the Hendricks County Flyer to submit a photo and profile to introduce themselves to Hendricks County voters.

May 7, 2012
More Election 2012 Headlines

Election 2012

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