On Tuesday, November 8, 1864, voters in 25 states--including Kansas, West Virginia, and Nevada for the first time--cast their ballots for president of the United States; voters in the 11 states that had seceded did not participate. Incumbent Abraham Lincoln ran as the Republican nominee (called the National Union Party in the 1864 election), and George B. McClellan ran on the Democratic ticket. Lincoln won the popular vote by a large margin, 64% to 35%. But, in mid-1864, Lincoln believed he had little chance of being reelected. The documents featured in this article, Lincoln's "Blind Memo," and a telegram related to Abraham Lincoln's reelection provide an entry point into a lesson on the historical impact of elections and resulting political action. The author encourages teachers to have students read both of the documents aloud and to share their observations, reflections, and questions. Students are asked to consider the difference between election "returns" and election "results" as they think about the significance of Lincoln's "Blind Memo," the featured telegram and the other telegrams President Lincoln received, the December 6th speech, and the House vote of January 31st.