Explanatory Paragraphs to Presidential Elections.

1789. 1 Rhode Island with three votes and North Carolina with seven votes had not ratified the Constitution (see page 96). New York lost eight votes (see page 268); Maryland and Virginia had each two electors absent. For Electoral Vote for first President, see page 268.

1793.

2 The Vice-President opened and read the certificates, tellers verifying and tabulating the returns, the exclusive power of the Vice-President being exercised.

1797. A joint committee to count the electoral votes inaugurated; Adams presided, opened and read the certificates, declaring himself elected President; 70 votes a majority, 71 votes cast for Adams.

1801.

4 One Maryland elector absent. Electors of both parties, with the exception of one Rhode Island elector (who cast his vote for Jay instead of Pinckney), voted equally for both candidates. Jefferson and Burr received each 73 votes, devolving the choice upon the House of Representatives. Nineteen ballots taken by the House on February 11, nine on the 12th, one on the 13th, one on the 14th, and one on the 15th; the thirty-sixth ballot on February 17 resulting in the choice of Jefferson as President, who received 55 votes as against 49 for Burr.

STATES

New Hampshire..

Vermont..
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island

Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania.

1805. 1809.

The Federalists declined to vote (except those from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), which action gave to Jefferson Vermont and Maryland, divided Delaware and South Carolina, and left Burr the four New England States, as shown in the table above. See "1825."

5 The Vice-President did not count the electoral vote.

One Kentucky elector absent.

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1817. 8 Three Federalist electors of Maryland and one of Delaware absent. Indiana, which adopted a Constitution in June, and was admitted as a State December 11, 1816, with three electoral votes; question of rejection raised on the ground that Indiana, until admitted by formal act of Congress, was not a State for the purpose of the election, after adoption of a Constitution. By unanimous vote, matter indefinitely postponed, and her electoral votes admitted. See "Missouri," 1821."

1821.

9 Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Tennessee, each had one electorship vacant, owing to the death of the member between appointment and the meetings of the electors.

A contention on the three electoral votes of Missouri took place, which State had adopted a Constitution in July, 1820, but had not been proclaimed a State until August 10, 1821, not having fulfilled conditions exacted of it by Congress as a prerequisite to admission; that in the case of Indiana (see "1817"), although not fully admitted as a State at the time the electors voted, she was a State in full standing when the electoral votes were counted; whereas with Missouri there was not even a pledge that its legislature would accept the Congressional conditions exacted. A joint committee of Congress appointed to ascertain and report a mode of examining votes, as heretofore the custom; the Committee reported an additional resolution to former procedure:

Resolved, That if any objection be made to the votes of Missouri, and the counting, or omitting to count, which shall not essentially change the result of the election, in that case they should be reported by the President of the Senate in the following manner: Were the votes of Missouri to be counted, the result would be, for A.B. for President of the United States, votes; if not counted, for A.B. for President of the United States, votes. But in either event A.B. is elected President of the United States. And in the same manner for Vice-President.

The three electoral votes of Missouri were counted.

[This was called "Counting in the Alternative" (see page 217, also "1837," "1869," and "1881" in this article).]

1825. 10 No candidate obtained a majority of the electoral votes for President. Jackson received 99; J. Q. Adams, 84; W. H. Crawford, 41; H. Clay, 37; necessary to a choice, 118. The choice of President devolved for the second time upon the House of Representatives (see "1801") from the three candidates receiving the highest number of votes (Constitution, Art. II., Sec. 3).

John Quincy Adams chosen on the first ballot.

John C. Calhoun was chosen Vice-President by the electors, having received 182 votes as against 30 for Sanford, 24 for Macon, 13 for Jackson, 9 for Van Buren, and 2 for Clay.

Statistics showing the "popular vote" for the several candidates were first published in connection with this election; no reliable results, particularly incident to many electors being appointed by the legislatures, as Vermont, New York, Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana, whose "popular vote" does not enter into the following tables:

1829. 11 Vermont, New York, Georgia, and Louisiana changed to a "popular" election. Popular vote of Delaware and South Carolina not considered, as electors chosen by the legislature.

1833. 12 Delaware changed to "popular" election. Popular vote of South Carolina not considered, as electors chosen by the legislature, and Alabama made no report, considering it unimportant, as there was no opposition. Her electors voted for Jackson.

1837. 18 The vote of Michigan announced in the alternative by the House, there having been a division as to whether that State was or was not a State for the purposes of the election (see "1821"). She was formally admitted January 26, 1837, which made her a State at the time of the electoral count.