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A Single Vote

Album: Gold Audio 03: Heroes

Episode: 47

Lesson/Theme: Voting; civic duty; participating in democracy.

Bible Verse: Matthew 22:21

Characters: Connie, Whit

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: November 5, 1988

Last Air Date: March 17, 2008

Description:
Horace Higgenbotham is running for president of the student body at Odyssey Elementary. Whit has let the candidates hold a rally at Whit's End. Thanks to some free ice cream, the kids are all there and are excited. But Connie is sick of the whole thing. She feels that one vote can't possibly make a difference. So Whit proceeds to prove her wrong. He tells her and everyone listening about a man named Jamison Shoemaker, whose story ends in the territory of Texas during 1845. Territorial President Sam Houston waits anxiously for word on the vote for Texas statehood. Texas needs 36 congressional votes, and Houston is not certain they have them. Suddenly, a messenger bursts in to deliver the news: Texas has become the 28th state-by a margin of one vote, cast by Harrigan, a senator from Indiana. This leads to the next phase of the story, which happened six years earlier in Indiana. The legislators had gathered in Indianapolis for an important vote to elect a senator. One of those legislators was a man named Madison Marsh. Marsh elicited advice from his advisors, then decided to cast his vote for Harrigan, who was confirmed as a senator-by Marsh's one vote! All of this finally leads to Jamison Shoemaker. It's Election Day, 1837. Shoemaker is out plowing his field and nearly misses his chance to vote, rushing to town and casting his ballot just before the polls close. The ballots are counted, and the new representative to the Indiana state legislator is Madison Marsh. Shoemaker realizes that's the fellow he voted for-and Marsh won by that one vote! One ordinary man with one ordinary vote was directly responsible for Texas becoming a state. As Whit tells us, it's all a part of our Maker's plan.

Questions:
Why is it important to vote? Read Matthew 22:2 In our country, who is the ruling authority? Name some other instances where one person made a big difference.