What was the first presidential election you voted in?

[former9thward]

89. That is not what happened.

Convention rules were changed in a reaction to the 1968 convention and old-style Democrats which included organized labor and big city machines were not even allowed to attend the convention. Their spots were given to political activists. In Illinois, for example, the elected delegates led by Mayor Daley were unseated and an un-elected delegation led by Jesse Jackson was seated. Jimmy Carter led the "Stop McGovern" in the South. During the general election these excluded groups which had delivered the vote to the party in the past sat on their hands.

McGovern had led the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection, which changed the rules for convention delegates. He himself acknowledged the disaster when he said, "I opened up the doors to the Democratic party and 20 million people walked out",

That is not counting McGovern knocking off his own VP, Tom Eagleton because he had been treated for depression.

The 1972 election was not loss because of Republican dirty tricks, it was lost due to mistake after mistake by activists who had taken over the party, More information can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Democratic_National_Convention