What was the first election you voted in, and if you care to volunteer, for who?
Myself it was 2012 and Barack Obama.
- I only remember the names of the Presidential candidates; I voted for Carol Moseley-Braun in the primary, and John Kerry in the general election.
- Reagan.
1968, Humphrey.
1980, Reagan vs. Carter. I voted for Reagan because Carter had just made me register for the draft.
- I voted for Carter, despite the draft. (Not registering was probably my first felony).
2000, Gore v. Bush. Kind of an interesting start, I guess. Voted in all presidential elections since. Voted in all primaries and midterms until sometime after 2010. They changed my voting place and now instead of it being on my way home or just a few minutes away, it’s a 40+ minute round-trip.
1992 for Bill Clinton. I don’t recall if I voted in the primary that year but I know I voted in the general. I was away at college at the time and voting on campus so I don’t think I voted in the down-ballot races unless it was a straight (D) ticket.
- I think I voted for Pat Paulson, but it might have been Snoopy.
1996, Clinton vs Dole; I voted for Clinton, because (a) it looked like the Republicans were going to retain the House and the Senate, and because (b) I figured the world would be a better place if they kept making things hard for a Democrat in the White House instead of suddenly making things easy for a Republican.
I was right about the first part, and I think I was right about the second.
- John Anderson. The only time I’ve ever voted for an independent or third party candidate.
Same election. Voted for Dole. In retrospect, I don’t know why.
I wonder how history would be different if America had voted Ford a second term in 1976.
1972 for me. I voted for McGovern.
Local and state elections in 1974
First presidential election in 1976. I had to cast an absentee ballot in that one, as I was overseas in the Army.
- I voted for Humphrey, for one reason: He wasn’t Nixon.
2006 midterms. Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown.
I voted in 1978 in the California gubernatorial election. What a farce that was (Evelle J. Younger, the AG, v. the incumbent Jerry Brown). But far more important in that election was the innocuous Proposition 13, which became the first and most notorious of the anti-tax revolts of the late-70s and early-80s. It was kinda neat voting absentee from college in Rochester, NY.
- Voted for Carter.
I started a thread just like this a few years back. For me it was 2004, I voted for John Kerry, I pretty much knew he would lose though.