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Fun Fact - January 7

On this day in 1789, America’s first presidential election was held.

The first Election Day looked almost nothing like today's elections. In fact, political parties hadn't yet come into existence, and it was a time when campaigning was actually discouraged. Only white men who owned property were permitted to vote. That means a mere 1.3 percent of the total population voted in this election -- far lower than the approximately 40 percent of the total population who vote in modern presidential elections.

With 69 electoral votes, George Washington became the first and only person to unanimously win the presidency. John Adams, who served as the first U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, became the first vice president with 34 electoral votes.

Voters from ten states -- Virgnia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey -- were able to cast electoral votes in this election. New York was unable to field a slate of electors while North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution, making them ineligible to participate.

One thing has remained the same since the days of the early Republic: the Electoral College. The president and vice president are the only federal officials who are not elected by popular vote. The Electoral College allows American citizens over the age of 18 to vote for electors, who then vote for the president.

Our founding fathers conceived this system because they feared unabridged democracy and wanted safeguards put in place in order to make the election process fair and civil.
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