Saturday, November 5, 2016

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your First Presidential Election

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 
time for some more Genealogy Fun!!



Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1)  The 2016 Presidential election is this coming Tuesday.  When did you vote in your first Presidential election and, if you choose, who did you vote for?  What about your parents?  When did they first vote?


2)  Share your responses in comments to this blog post, or in your own blog post, or on Facebook or Google+.  Please leave a link in Comments if you write your own blogp ost.

Here's mine:

a)  I was born in October 1943, so I was excited to cast my first vote in November 1964 for Barry Goldwater.  I was excited about the new conservative movement, and really didn't like Lyndon Johnson.  I registered as a Republican in 1964, and registered as a Democrat in 1972 after Watergate.  

b)  My parents were staunch Republicans from the time of their marriage.  My mother was age 21 in 1940 and a college student, but I think she voted for Franklin Roosevelt.  I'm pretty sure she voted for every Republican candidate after that.  My father was age 21 in 1932, but I doubt that he voted until 1948 after his marriage and World War II.  I doubt that he voted in 1944 as he was in the U.S. Navy.   I'm pretty sure he voted Republican from 1948 through 1980, and he died in 1983.  

c)  The California Voter Registrations are online on Ancestry.com - I need to review them to see how my grandparents and great-grandparents registered.


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Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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13 comments:

Janice M. Sellers said...

I voted in the first Presidential election for which I was eligible and haven't missed one since:

http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/2016/11/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your-first.html

Seeds to Tree said...

I voted at college in the 1972 election. They had lowered the voting age to 18. I actually don't remember whether I voted for Nixon or McGovern, but I remember that my parents disagreed on who to vote for and they each voted for one. What I do remember is Dan Walker, was a candidate for Illinois governor and "walked" the state of Illinois. He was popular with the younger crowd and won. Friends of mine worked on his campaign and were invited to Springfield for the inaugeration party. Five of us girls dressed up, and squeezed into a car, driven by a very large guy-friend of ours with a huge afro (it was 1972 remember) and drove there for a memorable evening of dancing and partying. We had a blast. Walker ended up being one of several of our governors to serve some prison time later. Oh well! The evening was one I'll never forget.

L Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
L Smith said...

I first voted in 1972. My husband was in the Navy and we were living away from our home of record, so I voted absentee.
Remember the "Don't Blame Me, I'm From Massachusetts" bumper stickers?

Mary Rohrer Dexter said...

I have voted democrat pretty consistently except I did vote for Reagan.

Diane Gould Hall said...

Thanks for the tip on the California voter registrations. I have many on my husband's side and a couple on mine to look up. I first voted in 1972. The first one I was eligible for. I've never missed voting since then. I remember my parents didn't vote for JFK. Other than that I don't know who they chose. I voted for Nixon that first time. Have always voted Republican. No change will be made in that regard for this election. Thanks for asking this interesting question Randy.

Lisa S. Gorrell said...

I also first voted in 1972 at age 18 and have voted in every election since. http://mytrailsintothepast.blogspot.com/2016/11/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your-first.html

Shirley Ann Rankin said...

I also voted for the first time in 1972 when I was 18. I was very interested in politics and government and I have voted in every election since, and always for the Democrats. I remember that a lot of people didn't vote because they didn't want to serve jury duty. I love jury duty, but I haven't been called in years.

Suzanne McClendon said...

I enjoyed these questions and the memories that they brought back to me. Here is the link to my post: Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Your first election was the same as my daddy's first election. I don't know if he voted or not, nor who he voted for if he did vote.

Thank you for the mention of the voter registrations on Ancestry.com. I am going to look into that to see what I can find. I hope that they also have them for South Carolina and Georgia. Thanks again and have a blessed day. :)

Fax said...

My dad and his family were staunch Democrats, perhaps because his father worked in the school system under the shade of the Tammany machine and really ugly politics in Jersey City, NJ. He probably would have been fired if he voted Republican. My mother was a staunch Republican all her life. Conversatrions were interesting and rarely dull in my house, growing up. My mother's dad never took sides; he was always the peacemaker.

Elizabeth Handler said...

My first presidential election was 1984. I think I voted for Mondale (because Geraldine Ferraro was the VP). Since 2000 (and probably before then), I have voted in EVERY federal, state, and local election that there has been in my Massachusetts town. (Remember there are more elections than just every four years in November.)

For those who have ancestors who lived in California, you may find women in the voter registration rolls before 1920. I blogged about my maternal grandmother's family living in Berkeley, California, briefly in 1911-1912 and that I found my great-grandmother in the voter registration there at From Maine to Kentucky.

Susi's Quarter said...

http://susischattyperformances.blogspot.com/2016/11/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-my-way.html

Here is my comments. I so wanted to vote for Ike but have only missed one election ever. I do not like our party system and I definitely do not like the government taking away our actual vote and doing their system. Two elections we the people lost our voice by the government over ride.

Lynn David said...

I was 18 in 1972, so since they changed the voting age I got to vote - for McGovern. My parents were 33 and 32 in 1936 and both told me they voted for FDR.