The Importance of One Vote

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Callaghan government lost a no-confidence vote by a margin of one vote, yes. Of course there would have been an election about half a year later, which the Tories would have likely won, anyways.

Maybe... but it would have had a very small majority and probably none at all.
No SDP if that vote hadn't been lost... no Miners strike either.

[PBrunsel]

One vote chose English as the official language of the United States over German.

[Gustaf]

One vote chose English as the official language of the United States over German.

No, that's a myth.

[PBrunsel]

One vote chose English as the official language of the United States over German.

No, that's a myth.

I guess I can't believe everything I read then.

[J. J.]

One vote brought down the Callaghan government and led to 18 years of Tory rule.

The Callaghan government lost a no-confidence vote by a margin of one vote, yes. Of course there would have been an election about half a year later, which the Tories would have likely won, anyways.
One Labour MP who hadn't voted in the no-confidence vote explained that he had been too ill to attend, and just to prove his point, died a few days later.

Ah, wouldn't the Speaker have voted?

[Platypus]

there is no such thing as an official language of america.

Some states do have official languages however, and I believe that in Virginia English narrowly won over German. I know that at least one state has Spanish and English as official languages, iirc it is California.

[PBrunsel]

there is no such thing as an official language of america.

Under the Continental Congress we had one, if I have my history right. It was soon ended afer we won Independence.

[Platypus]

Myeh. I reckon it's impressive I know that at all, to be honest

[Silent Hunter]

One vote brought down the Callaghan government and led to 18 years of Tory rule.

The Callaghan government lost a no-confidence vote by a margin of one vote, yes. Of course there would have been an election about half a year later, which the Tories would have likely won, anyways.
One Labour MP who hadn't voted in the no-confidence vote explained that he had been too ill to attend, and just to prove his point, died a few days later.

Ah, wouldn't the Speaker have voted?

Only in the event of a tie. There was a Northern Ireland MP who Labour searched the place for who then abstained.

[minionofmidas]

One vote brought down the Callaghan government and led to 18 years of Tory rule.

The Callaghan government lost a no-confidence vote by a margin of one vote, yes. Of course there would have been an election about half a year later, which the Tories would have likely won, anyways.
One Labour MP who hadn't voted in the no-confidence vote explained that he had been too ill to attend, and just to prove his point, died a few days later.

Ah, wouldn't the Speaker have voted?

Only in the event of a tie.

And there would have been a tie if that guy's deathbed had been in the Commons.

[Nym90]

Andrew Johnson was acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote.

[Nym90]

One vote chose English as the official language of the United States over German.

The United States doesn't have an official language.

[minionofmidas]

Andrew Johnson was acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote.

Yes, and there was one Rep Senator from Maine who publicly agonzed over how to vote for quite some time...I think he started doing that even before it became apparent that his would be the decisive vote.
People back home were very angry with him when he finally did the right thing, and his political career was over.
I forgot the name.

[jaichind]

The National Democratic Alliance lost in April 1999 a vote of confidence in the Indian Lok Shaba by one vote 269-268 I believe.

[7,052,770]

I think that German thing is an urban legend.

[Peter]

German  as an official language is not true by any strech

There was never a vote on a bill that would simply allow for the Statutes at large to be printed in German as well as English, but there was a vote to adjourn debate on this bill. It failed by one vote. This is what legend now refers to.

People might wonder: Why German?

Well, from my knowledge of the Constitutional Convention, I personally know that a number of the Framers had strong Germanic influences. This can actually be seen in the text with the Capitalisation of many nouns.

e.g. Article I Section 8 Clause 5
"To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;"

If you've ever wondered why it capitalises in that way throughout the document, thats why. Presumably the 1795 Congress that considered the Bill above still had these Germanic influences and for some reason, some people wanted Laws printed in German as well.

[minionofmidas]

People (in PA, not the US at large) wanted bills to be printed in German as well because a sizable minority of the population of PA at the time spoke no English or spoke English only imperfectly.

As for the capitalization, it was quite common in 18th century printed English, British and American, and has nothing to do with "Germanic influences".

[Redefeatbush04]

I just realized that a nearby town (Allentown, NJ) went to Kerry by just one vote

[zachman]

And in Connecticut, where I live, a House race was won by a margin of just two votes. Well, that's good. My vote still wouldn't have made any difference at all. ...
                                          -Norm MacDonald

[Joe Republic]

In 1988, in Ferry County in Washington the vote was tied.  One vote either way would have decided it.

Not that it matters a great deal anyway; Dukakis won the state by a margin of 30,000 votes.

[Platypus]

Sounds like a Jeffrey Archer novel is in the makings...

[Silent Hunter]

Winchester in the 1997 election was won by the Lib Dems by 2 votes.

The Tories appealed, the court threw the election out... and the Lib Dems won a 20,000 majority.