The Election of 1876

Fraud Allegations

The Election of 1876 was marred by widespread allegations of fraud and misconduct, particularly in key states with disputed votes. Gary Arndt highlights how Samuel Tilden won the popular vote but fell short by one electoral vote, with significant irregularities in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. In South Carolina, the number of votes cast exceeded the number of eligible voters, and fraudulent ballots were rampant 1.

There was widespread fraud in all three states. Back then, parties would print their own ballots, and many of the Republican printed ballots had the democratic symbol next to the republican candidates, tricking illiterate voters to voting republican.

--- Gary Arndt

The Republican-controlled election boards invalidated enough ballots to sway the results in favor of Rutherford Hayes, leading to further disputes and the creation of rival governments in Louisiana and South Carolina 1.

   

Electoral Commission Act

To address the electoral chaos, Congress passed the Electoral Commission Act, establishing a 15-member commission to resolve the disputed votes. The commission, composed of members from the House, Senate, and Supreme Court, faced immediate challenges, including the recusal of independent Justice David Davis 2.

The Democrats assumed that they had tied up Davis's support by giving him a Senate seat. How clever. However, it backfired because Davis recused himself from the commission to take his seat in the Senate.

--- Gary Arndt

Ultimately, the commission's decisions, made along party lines, favored Hayes, leading to his victory by a single electoral vote. The resolution of the election through the Electoral Commission Act and subsequent Compromise of 1877 marked a pivotal moment in American political history 2.