AMERICAN HISTORY - ELECTIONS

This summary table, hopefully, will provide a quick summary of the main information about each election - who won and who lost and the numbers of electoral votes each candidate received and percent of the popular vote. The main 'third parties' are included. In the right hand column the blue link is to the large Wikipedia entry that provides much detail on each election including issues, personalities, maps, tables and background. In this table by looking at the electoral and popular vote one can quickly see the impact of the electoral sustem which reqires a majority of votes by the Electors on presidential elections. But it does not reveal the larger national political impact. The Constitution reqires that a winner Must have an absolute majority of the vote by the Electors from each state- 50+ percent -not just a plurality as in most European elections. - And in elections to legislatures. Moreover, the initial concept was that electors would select prominent national figures and the individual receiving the second most votes would be the Vice President. The Founders did not conceive of there being 'political parties' based on ideology and policymatters. They were used to ancient republics in which 'factions' were organized around leading individuals and were not permanent nor with their own staffs. The first 'miscue' came in the first contended election when the Federalists were 'too clever' for their own good and made sure Thomas Pinckney received fewer votes that Adams - but the result was that Jefferson came in second and was therefore the Vice President. And he was totally opposed to every policy Adams suported. The Constitution provision was amended.
In the election of 1824 the requirement for an absolute majority showed its impact. Although Andrew Jackson received the most EC votes that was NOT an absolute majority due to the third party vote. The Constitutional requirement that in such case the President would be elected by the House of Representatives became effective. Henry Clay was the most powerful leader in the House and he pushed is supporters to vote for Adams. Of course Jackson and his supporters were furious. They had their revenge in the next election.
Note also the many times that the winner in the EC did not have a majority of the popular vote - and sometimes no one had a popular absolute majority. The maps show the winners for each state and indicate the sectional divisions in many elections.

Year

Winner

Vote

Loser

Vote

Others

Results, Issues and Encyclopedia

President George Washington was nominated by both Federalist and Democratic-Republican Parties for president, but George Clinton was nominated for VP by the Democratic Republican Party. Each elector had 2 votes and the rule was the president had the most votes and the VP had the second most.

Although Pinckney was the Federalist candidate they hoped would be vice-president they mistakenly failed their voting calculation resulting in Thomas Jefferson being elected vice-president - The Constitution was amended to change the rules once the candidates represented opposing parties, something the authors had not forseen.

This election is frequently termed the 'second American Revolution"

Note the vote - Jackson had more votes but not enough - 50% in the EC - that was 128 votes - so the election went to the House and Henry Clay supported Adams.

The vote was split among 5 parties including 3 Whig. This election saw the change from individual factional politics to the two-party systen in which the various factions moved to either the Democratic of Whig party. It was also the last election until Bush in which a seated Vice President won election following his president

Harrison died within weeks and Tyler became the 11th President.

Taylor died and Filmore became the 13th President

Democrats split North and South and Constitutional Union tried to hold nation together. Consider what would have been the result if the winner would have been a candidate with a required majority of the popular vote.

Only Northerners were eligible to vote.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became president - He was impeached by the House but found not guilty by the Senate.

Of course neither Democrats nor Republicans would nominate Johnson. There were 294 EC votes with 148 needed to win.
The Democrats of course were Northerners. Blair during the Civil War had prevented Missouri from going Confederate and was a Union Major General at Vicksburg.
Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia did not qualify to vote - Kentucky, Georgia, and Lousiana voted Democratic.

Look what happened when insurgent Democrats ran, spitting the vote - Greeley was the official party candidate and received many popular votes but only 3 electoral votes. His VP partner received more. The EC vote in Missouri and Georgia was split 3 ways. And in Kentucky 2 ways. The Wikipedia map shows the details.

This was a very contentious election. The initial results showed Tilden with his 184 EC votes (one short) and Hayes with only 160 votes. There were 20 votes from disputed states - 20 in Florida, Lousianna and South Carolina and one in Oregon. Note the obvious southern aspect. There were electors chosen from both parties in those states. Eventually the political battle was waged over 'reconstruction'. The EC vote was given to the Republicans in exchange for the withdrawal of Northern troops and control of southern states. Note, the looser in the EC had more popular votes. This enabled the white Democrats to gain control and institute their own "Jim Crow" laws.

The 'solid south' went Democratic - but not enough outside states joined them. They voted Democratic despite their candidate being a famous Union general. Both candidates won 19 states but the South lacked the population to have enough EC votes. But this cemented the 'solid south'.

The 'solid south' went Democratic again plus New York, New Jersey and Indiana. With 201 EC votes required the switch of New York 36 EC votes let the Democratic machine carry the day. Cleveland won his home state - NY - by 1,047 votes. This was an example from before the Civil War and repeated many times later - a combination of solid conservative southern voters and liberal voters in New York

'The solid south' again Democratic but they lost New York and Indiana, the 'swing states'; despite Cleveland's base in NY. The Republicans were clever in nominating Morton, who was a Representative from NY..

Again the 'solid south' regained New York plus California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and 1/3 of North Dakota

The Democrats held the 'solid south' plus gained the entire midwest - the 'free silver' advocates - popular farmer and miner vote - but still insufficnent. This was the election campaign in which William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous 'Cross ofGold" speech. And the political issue over gold and silver is what the famous book "Wizard of OZ" is about. The real policy battle was over 'tight' versus 'loose' money policy.

The south remained solid Democrat but lost in the north and west. McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and succeeded by Roosevelt.

The south remained solid Democrat ( 13 states) but was overwhelmed elsewhere.

Roosevelt promised not to run again and personally persuaded Taft to run. Again, the south remained Democrat but could not gain in the north, except for Bryan's home- Nebraska - and silver states Nevada and Colorado. Bryan was a three time looser. He went on to support W.Wilson in exchange for becoming Secretary of State.

The Democrats swept all but 8 states in the north and far west as the Republicans split between Roosevelt and Taft. Having placed Taft in the Presidency in 1908, Roosevelt felt betrayed by Taft's policies and chose to disrupt the election of his friend. Roosevelt won 6 states and Taft won only 2 states - a remarkable loss for a sitting President. Probably Wilson's policies actually appealed more to Roosevelt than did Taft's.

Charles Evans Hughes was a Supreme Court Justice

Harding was assassinated and Coolidge became President - The south remained Democratic.

La Follette carried only his home state - Wisconsin. The Democrats in the south added Tennessee and Oklahoma.

The Democrats retained only 6 southern states but added Massachusetts.

This was an unprecedented third term for Roosevelt

There were 531 total EC votes. The winner required 266 EC votes Franklin Roosevelt died in office and was succeeded by Harry Truman

There were still 531 EC votes with 266 required for the winner.

The winner still required 266 votes.

The winner required 269 EC votes with the additions of Alaska and Hawaii.
Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon Johnson became President

The winner needed 270 EC votes, because the District of Columbia was added.

The EC vote needed was 270 - fortunately Wallace did not take too many that would put the election into the House.

Richard Nixon resigned and was succeeded by Gerald Ford. Agnew had already resigned and Nixon appointed Ford as VP.

The EC requirement remained at 270 - This election was unique in that Gerald Ford had been appointed VP by Nixon and then when Nixon resigned Ford became the sitting president - thus he was the only sitting president to run for election who had never been elected as either VP or President.
As expected Carter took the entire south and Ford took the entire west. A shift of 30 EC votes would have changed the winner. The map will show in which states that might have occured.

Again, the maps will show in which states Perot's vote - if for Bush - might have changed the outcome or if for Clinton would have increased his win.

With Perot's influence declining Clinton gained 9 EC voites.

This is the election with the famous 'hanging chad' in Florida - Note that Bush won by 1 vote in the EC. and Gore had the larger popular vote. The election was decided by the Supreme Court.

Obama has 26 states plus DC to Romney's 24. The states were showing more the liberal vs conservative split with the south, except Florida now conservative. The vote by counties map shows the split even more forcefully. With the census of 2010 and shift of EC votes 8 states gained and 10 lost electors.

Not frequently mentioned are the 'faithless voters' for Colin Powell, John Kaisich, Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders and Faith Spotted Eagle