Every Vote Matters!
While phrases like, “every vote counts” and “your voice matters” are clichés at this point it’s actually true! With Election Day right around the corner, some of you may be thinking “I won’t vote because it won’t even make a difference”, but a single vote can make a SIGNIFICANT difference. Here is an example of why EVERY VOTE MATTERS:
Keisha Lance Bottoms is the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. She qualified for the nonpartisan Atlanta Mayoral election in 2017. The election occurred on November 7th, 2017 and since none of the 14 candidates received a majority vote, the top two finishers ran against each other. These two candidates were Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood. On Election Night, results showed that Keisha Lance Bottoms had barely won, and Mary Norwood asked for a recount. When the Fulton and DeKalb counties certified their votes, Keisha Lance Bottoms’ lead grew from 759 votes in unofficial tallies to 832. Bottoms’ lead margin was less than 1 percent, which means the second place finisher was able to request a recount (Brumback, 2017). The recount occurred on December 14th, and it resulted in Norwood gaining five votes and Bottoms losing six in Fulton county, while the vote total remained the same in DeKalb. However, Keisha Lance Bottoms was inaugurated on January 2nd, 2018.
Keisha Lance Bottoms’ narrow victory in Atlanta is a perfect example of why every single vote matters. One vote can be the deciding factor on whether or not a candidate wins the election process! Have you voted, or are you planning on voting in this year’s Presidential Election? VotingSmarter’s #CandidateMatchmaker provides unbiased election information and can help you find the right candidate!
(Contributed by Megan Johnson, Marketing Intern at VotingSmarter)
