Did You Know: American Elections?

by Nathaniel G 

Presidential candidate, Eugene Debs

There are three requirements to be president of the USA.  Any candidate must be at least 35 years old: so the current candidates just scrape in.  Any candidate must have been born in the USA. Any candidate must have lived in the USA for at least 14 years.  

Eight of the previous presidents have died in office, and four of those were assassinated.  

American presidential elections are always held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This was set hundreds of years ago when the country had a huge number of farmers.  Early November was a good time to vote because the harvest was over but the weather was still relatively mild for people to leave home and vote.  

In the eighteenth century, George Washington spent his entire campaign budget on 160 gallons of alcohol to serve to potential voters.

In 1884, reporting about the suitability of candidates did not focus on their political policies but on the shape of their skulls.  

In 1969, Richard Nixon was the 37th president of America.  His campaign had included his promoting his policies by giving away free cigars made out of bubblegum.

In 1920, Eugene V. Debs campaigned to be president while he was in prison.

The local rules and constitution in the state of Ohio prevents who they term ‘idiots’ from voting.

When the 26th president was elected in 1901 (Theodore Roosevelt), he took all his beloved animals with him to his new home in the White House: this included a small bear named Jonathan Edwards, a lizard named Bill, Guinea  pigs named Admiral Dewey, Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, and Father O'Grady, Maude the pig, Josiah the badger, Eli Yale the blue macaw, Baron Spreckle the hen, a one-legged rooster, a hyena, a barn owl, Peter the rabbit and Algonquin the pony.

Prisoners in America lose their right to vote, but candidates for president can still run their campaign from prison.  Who knows, this may happen for the second time ever this year. Can you guess what Donald Trump’s favourite colour is? (clue: it’s orange)