Posted on 02/17/2014 7:23:59 AM PST by Master Zinja
On this date in 1801, the fourth presidential election in the United States' history was finally decided. Presidential electors (which at that time could vote for two candidates) had cast 73 ballots each for Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. This caused the election to be decided in the House of Representatives, which cast 36 ballots in 6 days. For the first 35 ballots, Jefferson won 8 states - one short of the required 9. Finally, on the 36th ballot, representatives from Maryland and Vermont changed their votes, giving Jefferson 10 states and the win. The Constitution was amended in 1804 to change these rules so electors would distinctly select and president and vice-president with their votes.
There were 16 states at the time and a majority of the states was needed—8 votes weren’t enough. Tennessee was the 16th state, joining in 1796, and Ohio was the 17th, joining in 1803.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.