[Grand Old Partisan]

In those days, balloting was done in public, so it took a VERY brave man to vote against secession, at a time when the state governments, the militias, and the police were already controlled by rebels. Generally, the poorer a southerner was, the more likely he was a Unionist and less likely he had the right to vote. Also, a third of southern men, the blacks, could not vote in the pre-Civil War South -- and they would have been solidly against secession -- so it is just wrong to claim that a majority of southerners favored secession.

[TexConfederate1861]

OK...the majority of ELIGIBLE voters voted FOR secession.

[mac_truck]

Generally, the poorer a southerner was, the more likely he was a Unionist and less likely he had the right to vote.

Very well said.