*Post written by James Wethington, library assistant of the University Archives and Special Collections.
November is creeping up among us, which means people will be going out to the polls to vote on everything from our next president to county coroner this year! Recently, UASC created their fall display case, dedicated to politics in Indiana. Inside of the display, there are buttons, election results from 1828 from Vanderburgh County, Indiana, T-shirts, socks, and toilet paper. Yes, you read it correctly … there is toilet paper; but, not just any ordinary toilet paper. It is presidential toilet paper!
Right to Left: Gerald Ford (R) and Jimmy Carter (D)
On loan from a private donor, the toilet paper is from the 1976 presidential election between Republican nominee and then-incumbent president , Gerald Ford of Michigan against Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter, of Georgia. As you tell from the packaging, you can identify whose is who by the color: blue for Jimmy Carter and red for Gerald Ford. Those colors are the identifying marks of their respective parties. For the low price of $2.99, anyone could purchase one of the candidates and show their support or make them kiss their derriere.
The results of the 1976 election was Jimmy Carter defeating Gerald Ford with electoral vote count of 297-240.
Stay tuned for more political-related memorabilia!
Reference:
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. United States presidential election of 1976. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016, https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1976. Accessed 23 Sep. 2016
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