First ever first efforts image challenge!

I had so much fun combing through images of the candidates voting this week that I started to wonder when this visual staple of campaign coverage began. Surely there are there photographs of Ronald Reagan voting. But what about JFK? Harry Truman? Teddy Roosevelt? Having no time, but lots of inclination, to find out, I hit on an idea: why don't you tell me?

I'm happy to introduce the first (and probably last) ever first efforts image challenge. Scour the visual landscape for historical images of presidential candidates voting, send them to me or post the URL to the comments section, and we'll see if we can answer this pressing question.

I mean, I shouldn't have to do all the work around here.

Comments

[Robin]

Well, this isn't a presidential candidate . . . but it is Senator Joseph McCarthy at the polling place when he got re-elected to the Senate in 1952.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gnosticliberationfront.com/Voting.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gnosticliberationfront.com/senator_joseph_mccarthy2.htm&h=476&w=401&sz=34&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=bCL8imJf8IoDfM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEisenhower%2B%252B%2Bgoing%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bpolling%2Bplace%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DG

[caraf]

Awesome! I love those old creaky voting machines. The first time my mom took me with her to vote, she and I went behind the mysterious secret curtain and it was one of those big metal monsters. That's when voting mattered: it was big, it was heavy, it had levers, it went KACHUNK when you voted.

[Chris]

Also not a presidential candidate (yet), but a very similar pair of Richard and Pat Nixon shots, this one culminating his 1950 senate campaign . . .

[Chris]

Hmmm . . . URL didn't post. Here's the 1950 shot:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/BE070917.jpg?size=67&uid={3137a730-a740-4c50-aa50-40b9866b824a}

[Chris]

. . . and here's Richard and Pat Nixon voting in the 1952 election, with Richard running as the VP candidate on Eisenhower's ticket:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/BE030574.jpg?size=67&uid={e853faf6-17fa-4517-95c6-29d5be477999}

[Chris]

Nixon's Democratic opponent in the 1950 senate election was Helen Gahagan Douglas. Here she is voting:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/U954505ACME.jpg?size=67&uid={cb82b023-5ac0-4d9c-92b7-617eab6330cb}

[Chris]

On to presidents. Here's Harry Truman voting in the 1948 primary:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/BE029000.jpg?size=67&uid={1e201921-8171-4337-8600-a14b1af8010f}

and in the 1950 election:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/U954508AACME.jpg?size=67&uid={0bb5ffc2-45e0-404e-9b8c-def9b5e7fe26}

Here's JFK voting in the 1962 election:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/U1354705A.jpg?size=67&uid={f01a9cba-6735-463a-bb22-305a44233fb1}

. . . and the reveal after he casts his vote:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/U1347981.jpg?size=67&uid={6717de51-66e2-4280-a757-0f42629e47ed}

[achter]

I found Ike from 1956:

http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/Quick_links/1956_campaign/images/72-3614-6Eisenhower_voting.JPG

[Jim Aune]

Herbert Hoover voting

http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=3425460&epmid=1&partner=Google

[caraf]

Keep 'em coming, people, this is great! I have gotten a few other images offline as well, so in a few days I'll pull everything together and post them to a web album, and link to that here on the blog. I'm also contemplating awards for the oldest historical image you find, etc. -- so get those archival juices flowing...

[Ben Finnegan]

this isnt a voting one but I think its especially cool:
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/images/Churchill%20and%20Lincoln%20photo-landscape.jpg
Winston Churchill speaking in front of a huge image of Lincoln

[Ben Finnegan]

The oldest yet:
Here's Taft voting in 1908
http://glma.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/taft.jpg

[dhawhee]

i love the one of taft!! it's hard to tell whether he's being given the ballot or giving it. the guy giving/taking it looks especially panicked. nice find, ben!

[caraf]

OK, all, I will close all submissions tonight at midnight. Tick, tock, people. I'll post the slideshow here tomorrow afternoon. (By the way, we could still use some 70s & 80s stuff. Ronald Reagan voting in a wide tie, anyone?).