[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 4 (Friday, January 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TURNS 226

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 9, 2015

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this week 226 years ago, the first 
presidential election in United States history was held across the 13 
original colonies. Nowadays things change in the blink of an eye, so 
one can imagine how much our country has changed in 226 years.
  Texas was still a part of the Spanish Empire in 1789 and the United 
States had just recently gained its independence from the British 
Empire. Back then, voting eligible citizens would walk or ride their 
horses down cobblestone roads to the nearest poll.
  Oddly enough, the first voters voted by voice, rather than the secret 
ballot that we're all used to now. Voters wouldn't even vote for who 
they wanted as President, but would actually vote for their state's 
electors. The chosen electors would then cast their vote for President. 
Though we still have electors, citizens now vote for who they believe 
should be President rather than their state's electors. Electors are 
instead chosen by state governments and then each one is expected to 
vote with the will of the people of their state. The Electoral College 
voting system has been one of the lone constants in an ever-changing 
political and voting landscape. It was used in the first Presidential 
election and has been used in every election since.
  While the Electoral College has remained in place since 1789, voting 
rights have changed significantly over the years. For the first 
Presidential election, an eligible voter was defined as any white, 
land-owning male. However, our country has progressed a great deal 
since then and now defines an eligible voter as any citizen over the 
age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or societal status.
  We should be proud to live in a country whose government recognizes 
everyone as equal and allows each individual to vote, regardless of 
race or gender. From 13 colonies to 50 states and from voting by voice 
to voting on touch-screen computers, our elections have come a long way 
since 1789, and I expect the next 226 years to be just as great.
  And that's just the way it is.

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