AMERICAN NOTES: The Power of Just One Vote

One lesson Americans learn as schoolchildren is that every vote is precious. It is a lesson Americans also easily forget. Despite the striking evidence of how much each vote does indeed count—John F. Kennedy won the presidency by a margin of .2% of the votes cast in 1960, and Richard Nixon by .7% in 1968—tens of millions of Americans still stay away from the polls. An estimated 38% of the eligible voters cast ballots in the election last November.

Running in that election for one of New Hampshire's seats in the U.S. Senate, Republican Congressman Louis C. Wyman at first appeared...