Fun Facts About the 2008 Election

Here is a list of 10 fun facts about the 2008 Presidential election.

1) The president of Kenya declared November 5^th to be a national holiday in honor of Barack Obama's election.

2) The most Republican state in the 2008 election was Oklahoma, with 66% for John McCain. The runner-up was Wyoming with 65%.

3) The most Democratic state in the 2008 election was Hawaii, with 72% for Barack Obama. But the District of Columbia, while not technically a state, was by far the bluest part of the map with 93% for Barack Obama.

4) Hundreds of homeless people cast their ballots in the 2008 election, many of them for the first time in their lives. Some used the address of a homeless shelter to register, and others simply used a street corner as their address.

5) One precinct in Pennsylvania had some voters waiting as long as 11 hours to reach the polls. This was because voter turnout from the nearby Lincoln University was much higher than normal, and there were not enough voting booths to accommodate the crowd.

6) John McCain and Barack Obama were tied 50%-50% in the state of North Carolina and 49%-49% in the state of Missouri.

7) Sarah Palin was the second woman to run on a major party Presidential ticket. The first was Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 ran for Vice-President on the Democratic ticket with Walter Mondale against incumbent candidates Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The first woman to be nominated for the Presidential ticket of any party was Victoria Woodhull, who in 1872 ran for President on the Equal Rights Party ticket with Frederick Douglass.

8) Residents of the city of Obama, Japan held an election night party to celebrate Barack Obama's victory. They danced the hula in commemoration of Barack Obama's birthplace, Hawaii, and declared that someday they expect Obama to come visit the city that shares his name. Obama is a Japanese word that means "little beach."

9) At least 47 babies were named to commemorate the 2008 election. Less than a month before the election, a baby girl in the United States was named Sarah McCain Palin. At least one baby boy born in the U.S. on November 4, 2008 bears the middle name Barack, and one other was given the middle name Obama. Another boy born in the U.S. the next day was given Barack as a first name. At least 8 babies born in the country of Kenya on November 4^th were given either the name Barack or Obama, and by the weekend following the election, a total of 43 Baracks, Obamas and Michelles had been born in Kenya.

10) At least three pregnant women voted while they were in labor: one while voting early, and two on November 4^th..

Sources:

http://wiki.name.com/en/Oh_My!#New_Baby_Named_Sarah_McCain.2C_October_15

http://www.wmur.com/politics/17889498/detail.html?rss=man&psp=news#-

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/658492.html

http://www.macon.com/206/story/495028.html

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iPMabxYNpD-SD2MhjJVX8UMLt06AD948MFB80

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_elections_world_view

http://current.com/items/89491308_kenya_declares_national_holiday_for_obama

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/voting.problems/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_usa_politics_homeless

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usvotekenyachildrenbirthsoffbeat

http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/blog.html