Vacaville Reporter posted:

Election time has stimulated me to think back over the past more than sixty years since I first became eligible to vote in 1952. Neither of my parents had been voters so I had to figure out who I should vote for without following their example.

I was in basic training in the Air Force, and the Korean War was going on. I registered as a Republican and decided to vote for Eisenhower for president even though I also admired Stevenson. I thought Ike was more likely to deal best with the Korean situation.

As for all the other offices, I was poorly informed and don’t remember who I might have voted for although I did vote for some who were Republicans and others who were Democrats. It was the same in 1956, by which time I was stationed at Dow AFB near Bangor, Maine (the home town of Hannibal Hamlin, vice-president in Lincoln’s first term). I was becoming a bit more informed by taking courses in U.S. history at the University of Maine.

via Doug Ford: Preserve what is best by moving away from the extremes – The Reporter.