# When was the first presidential election you voted in and who did you vote for? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245 "2007-04-09T01:28:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/21 "2007-04-09T02:53:54Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] Ditto that. My first time voting was the March before that (I had turned 18 in January) and I voted for Howard Dean. [/QUOTE] Oh in the primary I voted for Carol Moseley-Braun. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/22 "2007-04-09T03:08:02Z")
1972, McGovern. The voting age had just been lowered to 18; my first election to vote for President in would have been 1976 if they hadn’t lowered the age (I was 20 that year). ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/5daacb/32.png) [@Old\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Goat)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/23 "2007-04-09T03:14:44Z")
LBJ 1964 Not the biggest mistake I ever made regarding Presidential elections. I really blew the next one, but then, I was trying to get out of Johnson’s war. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/24 "2007-04-09T03:16:28Z")
1996 - Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/25 "2007-04-09T03:23:48Z")
'92, Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/26 "2007-04-09T03:39:26Z")
I turned 18 in 1984 and voted for Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/27 "2007-04-09T03:48:00Z")
1988 George HW Bush ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/28 "2007-04-09T03:51:29Z")
[QUOTE=IvoryTowerDenizen] Dukakis. '88. [/QUOTE] Me, too! The one thing that stands out about that one is that my polling location was in the lobby of my college dorm, so I voted while wearing pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/29 "2007-04-09T03:55:23Z")
1976 Ford If they hadn’t lowered the voting age I would have had to wait until '80. I turned 21 about three weeks after the 1976 election. [QUOTE=Queen Tonya] Slightly off topic, but I was a gillion months pregnant that election, my overdue son was born two days later actually. So I show up to vote and the line is out of the building and wrapping around it for about a 2-3 hour wait. My immensely swollen ankles were not going to handle that well. So I stood in the back of the line, filling out my little pre-form on top of the ledge provided by the belly bulge, and suddenly, but quietly, grabbed my stomach and began panting. A few deep breaths and I checked my watch, then repeated about five minutes later. Sure enough, the folks around me noticed and flipped, was I alaright and did I need an ambulance? I protested that I was still quite far apart and _really_ wanted to cast my vote before going to the hospital. I was quickly escorted right to the head of the line, voted and was out of there in five minutes. [/QUOTE] Forgive the continued hijack but I have a friend who was born the day Richard J. Daley was elected the first time. His mother made his father stop _on the way to the hospital_ so she could vote against Daley. I guess she could have saved herself the trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/30 "2007-04-09T04:07:11Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] 1968, Humphrey. You had to be 21 back then. [/QUOTE] By the time I was 21 I was able to vote at 18. McGovern in 1972. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/31 "2007-04-09T04:15:40Z")
1. Anderson (Because Carter had brought back Selective Service registration and Reagan was the Antichrist.) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/32 "2007-04-09T04:18:50Z")
'84, Mondale. Ooooooh, the excitement!! ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/33 "2007-04-09T04:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=IvoryTowerDenizen] Dukakis. '88. [/QUOTE] Ditto, but I honestly can’t remember anything about the guy. Pretty sure I was voting against Bush more than for Dukakis. I’ve never voted for anyone that won the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/34 "2007-04-09T04:25:49Z")
1980, John Anderson. I thought Reagan was evil, Carter ineffectual, and Anderson had some good ideas. I still think so. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/35 "2007-04-09T04:26:01Z")
1. I was 22 and just married. I didn’t vote for Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/36 "2007-04-09T04:42:53Z")
'76 - Carter ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/37 "2007-04-09T04:53:38Z")
2004, for Kerry. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/38 "2007-04-09T04:54:30Z")
Mondale in 84. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/39 "2007-04-09T04:57:55Z")
1. I voted for Anderson and learned a life-long lesson about unintended consequences. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245/40 "2007-04-09T05:06:21Z")
1996 - Ross Perot 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-first-presidential-election-you-voted-in-and-who-did-you-vote-for/399245.md?page=3)