I didn't vote for Jimmy Carter in 1976.

[ShazzieB]

47. I think I voted for Carter in 1976, but I honestly can't swear to it.

The first election I ever voted in was 1972. I was a college student in 1972 and a recent grad in 1976, didn't read the newspapers or watch the news regularly in those days, and was definitely a low information voter. But I did have strong opinions about a few things, such as feminism and getting the eff out of Vietnam, and I hated Nixon. As a result, I voted for Shirley Chishom in the Democratic primary, and George McGovern in the general.

By 1976, Nixon was out of the picture, and the U.S. was out of Vietnam, so those two things were no longer factors. I was in an apolitical phase (ugh), did not vote in the primary that year, and didn't have strong feelings about any candidate, for or against.. After Nixon, Ford seemed like a breath of fresh air by comparison, so I didn't have a burning desire to get rid of him, and I was crazy about Betty Ford as flotus. And I knew very little about Carter at the time. (Low info voter, remember?)

So I remember pondering who to vote for in November but I'm honestly not sure who I picked in the end. I can say for sure that I voted for Carter enthusiastically in 1980, and for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election from then on, but my memories of 1976 are kind of murky!