Campaigns of the Centuries
A brief history of close elections and why it will all be ok.
Election day is finally here. We find ourselves amid a highly charged political climate. Shifting demographics and heightened turnout could lead to a decisive victory or a long night of waiting and uncertainty. If that is the case, it could worry many Americans who were told the election would be stolen and if the other side won, that American democracy and freedom might end.
America has a history of close elections. If 2024 is close, it won’t be unique. If it’s contested, we will find a way past it. So, before listening to the politicians complain or point fingers, let me share why America will be fine.
Election of 1800 (Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams)
The first really close election was in 1800 between Thomas Jefferson and President John Adams. America was bitterly divided. Jefferson represented the Democratic-Republicans who felt left out of power by John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and the Federalists. The election ended in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, his running mate. The House of Representatives ended up deciding the winner. After 36 rounds of balloting, Jefferson was chosen as president.
The election was the first in which parties actively influenced voters through surrogates, proxies, and partisan newspapers. It also led to the passage of the 12th Amendment, which established separate Electoral College votes for President and Vice President.
Election of 1824 (John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson)
By 1824, the Democratic-Republicans had been in office since Jeffersons election of 1800. The Federalists had been defeated. However, many felt the current establishment was ignoring half the country. This caused the Republicans to split between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and Henry Clay. Jackson won the popular vote but failed to secure an electoral college victory. The House selected Adams after Speaker Henry Clay supported him.
Jackson was livid. He called it the Corrupt Bargain. In 1828, fueled by revenge, Jackson reshaped American politics and political parties, empowered the new Democratic Party, and scored a landslide victory.
Election of 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel Tilden)
The Civil War may have ended in 1865, but the battles moved to the ballot box. The rise of white supremacist groups like the KKK working with southern democrats led to voter intimidation using violence and voter suppression with the use of poll taxes and literacy tests. Meanwhile, northern Republicans used patronage power and connections with wealthy businessmen to tip the election scales in their favor.
It culminated during the election of 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden. As the votes were tallied, Tilden secured a majority of the popular vote and appeared to be just one electoral vote shy of the presidency. However, the results in four states—Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon—were hotly disputed. Both parties claimed victory in these states, leading to an unprecedented situation where multiple sets of electoral votes were sent to Congress.
In the South, there were widespread reports of voter intimidation against black voters by white supremacist groups. Both sides alleged ballot stuffing, bribery, and other forms of voter fraud. The nation watched with bated breath, unsure of how it would be resolved.
Congress established a bipartisan Electoral Commission to address the crisis, consisting of five senators, five representatives, and five Supreme Court justices, split among party lines of eight Republicans and seven Democrats. In a series of party-line votes, the commission awarded all the contested electoral votes to Hayes, giving him a narrow victory in the Electoral College. Known as the Compromise of 1877, the agreement stipulated that Hayes would become president in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction and ushering in the Jim Crow era.
Election of 1960 (John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon)
The 1960 election was the first time that television played a significant role. John F. Kennedy faced off against Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy attacked Nixon for a “missile gap,” Nixon supporters attacked Kennedy for his faith, and they both danced around Civil Rights. The election was bitterly fought, and there were charges of election fraud in Illinois and Texas.
Nixon chose not to challenge the election that was decided by 9,000 votes in Illinois and 46,000 votes in Texas. Even though Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy’s running mate, was notorious for playing fast and loose with election law in Texas. Nixon felt mounting a formal challenge would damage the country and the electoral process. He wouldn’t give up and would be elected President in 1968.
Election of 2000 (George W. Bush vs. Al Gore)
The 2000 U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore is one most of us remember. Record-breaking campaign spending, a lock box, and hanging chads led to one of the closest and most contentious elections in American history. The results hung on Florida, where Bush held a narrow lead, triggering a recount. Disputes over "hanging chads" and ballot irregularities in Florida led to a series of legal battles, culminating in the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, which halted the recount and effectively awarded Florida's electoral votes to Bush. Bush won the presidency with 271 electoral votes to Gore’s 266, despite Gore winning the national popular vote by over 500,000 votes.
The 2000 election led to reforms at both the state and federal levels. Florida made several changes, such as moving away from punch card balloting, and Congress passed the Help America Vote Act and while not directly related to the 2000 election thwy also passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
Election of 2020 (Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump)
Everyone reading this surely remembers the last election. Joe Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump. Donald Trump spent weeks leading up to the election claiming the election would be stolen with widespread fraud. On election night, the results trickled in slowly due to the unusually large amount of mail-in balloting caused by COVID. Before all the votes were counted, Trump declared himself the victor. Days later after the votes were counted, Biden was declared the winner.
Trump and his supporters continued to cry foul, challenging the election in numerous court cases. More than 60 lawsuits were filed, but they were largely unsuccessful in changing any results. On Janurary 2nd, in a recorded phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump urged him to "find 11,780 votes," which happened to be the exact number needed to overturn Biden's win in Georgia.
In an organized effort to “Stop the Steal,” on January 6th, Trump held a rally near the White House, where he spoke to supporters, encouraging them to march to the Capitol. Trump himself did not go to the Capitol with the crowd. While his supporters fought with capitol police and chanted “Hang Mike Pence.” Trump watched on TV and advocated that Mike Pence delay the electoral vote. The delay was to create an opportunity for state legislatures in key battleground states to review or potentially overturn their electoral votes. A group of self-appointed Trump electors sent fake certificates to Congress and the National Archives to encourage Pence to delay the vote.
The crowd eventually pierced the walls of the capitol and disgraced the home of the most deliberative body by breaking windows and ransacking offices. When the crowd left, the election was certified, and Biden was sworn into office on January 20th, 2021. In response, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act. A bipartisan bill that clarified and strengthened procedures for counting electoral votes, amending the original Electoral Count Act of 1887.
Now, you may be reading this and thinking, uh, these stories don’t sound good. Yes, there have been a lot of wheeling and dealing, manipulation, and even some fraud in our elections. However, what makes America unique is the multiplicity of checks and balances that deal with these irregularities and challenges. And at the end of the day, we find a way to compromise and move forward together.
America has had its share of ups and downs. We’ve had accidental presidents and serious disagreements about how life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apply to all citizens of the United States. But we always figure out a way to work it out.
No matter who wins, half of the country will feel left out. No President will be able to represent all the people of the United States. Citizens must speak up for their right of representation if we want to move forward together. We must spend less time talking about the President and more time talking about Representation, incentives, and balance of power. We must preserve the checks and balances that make America great.
Peace and Love,
Jeff Mayhugh