06 November, 2012

Election Day

I was in the second grade, the year was 1960. We had a mock election in our classroom. Our teacher, Mrs. Wade, posted these two photographs at the front of the room with their names below the pictures. We had a ballot box set on a vacant desk and our teacher dismissed us row by row to cast our votes, marked on paper ballots, into that box. She tallied the votes at the end of the day and recorded the results on the blackboard. John Kennedy won that election in my second grade classroom, I was disappointed; I had voted for  Richard Nixon because he looked neater, tidier. Isn't it funny, the things that we remember and the what factors can influence us in our decision making process. I don't recall politics being discussed at home and my rationale for voting was mine alone. Today's the day, the candidates are counting on your vote; whatever your reason, get out to the polls and cast a ballot! 

What's the first presidential election you remember?
Life is Good!

10 comments:

Carol said...

I LOVE it! It is so funny that things that make an impact on us when we're young and we remember all these years...and then some days I can't remember if I ate breakfast...LOL!

*karendianne. said...

What a neat story and great memory. President Reagan was the one for me. I was in school in the 80’s and engaged in school so I could go home and engage at home.

Cathi said...

The election of 2000. My husband & I were returnng to Nevada from Texas where our grandson, Ashley, was born with severe disabilities. We hit a blizzard in Amarillo, literally slid into a motel, where when we went to bed, Gore was pres. and when we woke in the a.m. it was Bush. What an election year.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

That is the first Presidential election that I remember, too. I'll be going to vote in a few minutes ... hopefully the pre-work crowd will have all voted and there won't be much of a crowd.

Theresa said...

It was 88 for me. I voted for Dukakis in class because he was the governor of Massachusetts and I had lived in there before.

~Niki~ said...

the first one I remember is the Ford election :) Must have done something in school. don't remember. i lived in NY at the time.

Quiltdivajulie said...

The same election - I was teased mercilessly and relentlessly by the other kids at school and on the bus because I made the mistake of saying out loud (when pressured to choose) that I thought Mr. Nixon had "mean" eyes.

45th Parallel Quilter said...

JFK came to the town I grew up in. I was 11 years ago and I remember all the women saying he was even more handsome in person than on the TV or in films. I thought he was "ok" but that my dad was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen .....

Libby said...

Our local news showed a classroom of children voting for 10 extra minutes of recess or one night of no homework. No homework won, but you could tell by the faces which children wanted more recess *s*

Janet O. said...

Just got home from 15 hours at the polls as a poll worker. My brain is fried and I can't even remember the first election I remember. How's that for making no sense? : )