In the 228 years since George Washington was elected, there have been many interesting political moments in U.S. history.
In the election of 1800 – as documented by the National Archives – Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied and Congress was forced to break it. Alexander Hamilton then stepped in, writing letters discouraging members from voting for Burr. Jefferson went on to win and Burr became vice president. During his time in office, Burr and Hamilton continued a rivalry that eventually led to a duel and ultimately Hamilton’s death.
In 1868, the Democratic Party selected Stephen A. Douglas as their candidate but many southerners refused to support him and nominated John Breckinridge instead. Both claimed to be the democratic candidate and with no one to name a single, official candidate, both appeared on the ballot according to Britannica.
The 1872 election was full of firsts when Victoria Woodhull of the People’s Party became the first female candidate in U.S. history. That same year, a few days before the Electoral College could cast their votes, democratic candidate Horace Greeley died.
I think the app is a great concept as it would get quality information to people faster and more conveniently.
The American Presidency Project outlines more recent election drama during the controversial 2000 election between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush when the election essentially came down to Florida’s decision. At first, Gore was announced as the state’s winner by TV networks. After a short time, it came out that the votes were too close to determine. Eventually networks announced Bush as the winner, but the results did not become official until over a month later. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president.
If past elections have been chaotic and drama-filled, the 2016 election, in many people’s opinion, will be the most chaotic of them all. Political science professor Dr. Laura Wiedlocher described the race for the White House as “a competition not just between people running for office but also between competing ideas and agendas. This can seem chaotic to the typical voter who is trying to make sense of the onslaught of information coming at them. It’s critical to our democracy that citizens be able to get actuate, trustworthy information in order to be well informed”.
This year’s presidential election features businessman and Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, alongside Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party. There have been many statements made about each candidate, and sometimes it’s hard for voters to separate facts from myths. Throughout the country, and on the Blackburn campus, there are still some unsure for whom they should vote.
Created at the Poynter Institute, Politifact’s Settle It! free mobile app might help. It allows users to search for a specific topic about which they would like to learn more. It then brings up politicians’ views on that topic.
Sophomore political science major Deja Luckett spoke highly of the app. “I always go on there to see what candidate said what things, just to make sure they’re right [because] it will say true or false,” she said. Settle It! provides users with details about the credibility behind the politicians’ statements. For instance, if someone would like to learn more about immigration, he or she could simply type in ‘immigration’ and all statements by politicians regarding the matter will be displayed. From there, the viewer can select a specific statement and it will direct them to a page that outlines what exactly the speaker said followed by information to either back up the statement or disprove it.
The app is fairly easy to use and allows those still uncertain to learn what each candidate is saying and whether what they are saying is true, partly true or false. Although she hasn’t used the app, Wiedlocher said she has “been a fan of Politico and their Truth o Meter for many years. I think the app is a great concept as it would get quality information to people faster and more conveniently.”