Does one vote count?

March 20, 2012 was the primary election in Illinois. How'd it go?

Dismally. Only 19.72% of the registered voters turned out. Pretty sick; right? Guess this is what happens when you live in a free country.

Does one vote make a difference?

According to a letter from Kathie Schultz, McHenry County Clerk, "The Village of Fox River Grove ... had a public question on the ballot. It ended up with a tie vote, so the question was defeated."

And then, "The Village of McCullom Lake also had a public question on the ballot. It failed by one vote."

And "In County Board District #4; 12 votes separated a winning and a losing candidate."

How many votes were cast? 39,242. And the breakdown?

Republican, 33,268 (84.8%)
Democratic, 5,585 (14.2%)
Green, 42 (0.1%)
Nonpartisan or Proposition-only ballots, 347 (0.9%)