When do we vote for a new president?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008, is the day U.S. citizens will go to the polls and vote for the next 44th President of the United States.

Why do we vote on a Tuesday in November?
Since 1845, election day has always been the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Why November? When the law that determined the day was passed, the United States was still a predominantly agrarian society. November was a good month because the fall harvest was overbut the harsh winter weather had yet to begin.

Why Tuesday? Most citizens lived in rural areas and would need to travel quite a distance to vote, some would need to begin travelling the day before to reach the county seat. Tuesday was chosen to avoid conflicts with church services and Sunday worship.

Why the first Tuesday after the first Monday? Lawmakers wanted to prevent election day from falling on Novmeber 1st for two reasons. November 1st is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics, and it is also the time of the month in which merchants would settle their accounts.

When we vote, who do we elect?
Contrary to popular belief when citizens go to the polls on the Tuesday after the first Monday on November, we do not elect the President of the United States. Instead we are submitting our votes to our state's electoral college, a group of citizens selected to cast votes for the President and Vice-President. The candidate who receives the majority of the electoral votes becomes the next President of the United States.

If no presidential candidate receives a majority in the Electoral College, then the president-elect is selected by a vote of the House of Representatives. If no vice presidential candidate receives a majority, then the vice president-elect is selected by a vote of the Senate.

So does my vote even make a difference?
Yes! Just one vote can make a difference in the outcome of an election. Below are some recent examples of VERY close elections.

1997: Vermont State representative Sydney Nixon was seated as a one-vote winner, 570 to 569, but he eventually resigned when a recount showed that he had actually lost to his opponent Robert Emond, 572 to 571.

1994: Republican Randall Luthi and Independent Larry Call were tied for a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives from the Jackson Hole area with 1,941 votes each. After a recount that confirmed the tie, Democratic govenor settled the matter by pulling a name out of a hat.

1997: On election night, South Dakota Democrat John McIntyre led Republican Hal Wick 4,195 to 4,191 for the second seat in Legislative District 12. A recount showed Wick the winner at 4,192 to 4,191, but the state Supreme Court ruled that one ballot counted for Wick was invalid. The tie was settled after the state legislature weighed in.

Is it true that the 2008 presidential election will be the most expensive election in history?
Yes, according to a former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner in January 2007. He estimated that the 2008 race will be a "$1 billion election," and that to be "taken seriously," a candidate will need to raise at least $100 million by the end of 2007.