Any documentation
- FortBrooke1824
-
Brian Tubbs
- Mugwump53
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» FortBrooke1824 - Voting
John, is there any documentation that anyone who voted for George Washington as President also voted for Abraham Lincoln in either the 60 or 64 election?-- posted by FortBrooke1824
»
Brian Tubbs
- Re: Voting
I'll throw my two cents on this...
Washington's election was pretty much an Electoral College affair. The different states all chose their electors according to their own methods. Eventually, all the states would hold popular elections to elect slates of electors for certain candidates (with the citizens casting public votes for those presidential candidates, but in actuality, voting for the electors). In the Washington era, that was all just starting to get worked out. I am not certain of the number - I'll have to research it - but several states, I'm pretty sure, just had their legislatures choose the electors (completely bypassing the general electorate). I say all that then to emphasize the point that Washington's election was very different in character and nature from Lincoln's election. Therefore, it makes it difficult to research the kind of question you're asking.
However, it IS an interesting question. I would offer that it's unlikely any voters from the 1788 or 1792 elections survived to cast ballots in the 1860 election.
Most states in the early U.S. required their voters to be at least 21 years of age. Certainly, they had to be men of property (although some widows did vote in New Jersey and one other state - either Maryland or Massachusetts, that we know of). This means that a voter in 1792 (and we're dealing with a small number, since only those states that chose their electors by popular ballot would be pertinent here) would have been roughly 21 years of age or older. We'll say 20, just to keep the number round. I seriously doubt anyone younger than that voted.
If a voter were 20 in 1792, he would be 88 in 1860, if I'm not mistaken in my math. This would fairly significantly exceed the average life expectancy of that era.
We DO know that there were no surviving American Revolutionary War veterans alive at the time of the Civil War.
My guess is that there were NOT any voters who cast ballots in the Washington election and again in the Lincoln election.
I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. :-)
That's my guess, though. Have you heard differently?
-- posted by Brian Tubbs
» Mugwump53 - Re: Voting
In response to Voting posted by FortBrooke1824:Hi, Dennis.
Sorry to take so long to get around to checking my discussion area.
Brian is correct, but allow me to add some detail. Most states did not have popular voting to choose electors in 1788 or 1792. In 1788, the four states that did were Pennsylvania and Maryland (at large) and Virginia and Delaware (by district). Five states had the state legislatures choose the electors: Connecticut, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina.
Two states, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, had a combination of popular voting and state legislature selection. New Hampshire used a statewide popular voting method with anyone receiving a majority of the popular vote being elected. If no one got a majority, the legislature would then choose.
Massachusetts had an unusual system. In each congressional district, the people would choose two people to be electors. The state legislature would then choose between the two winners in each district, as well as choosing two at-large electors.
The New York state legislature could not agree on how to choose electors (the larger Assembly, or lower house, wanted each legislator to have one vote which, given their larger numbers would give them the deciding edge; the state senate wanted each house to vote equally) and consequently never chose electors.
North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution, and therefore did not vote in 1788.
In 1792, there were some slight changes. Massachusetts and New Hampshire went to various forms of popular selection of electors. Electors were chosen by popular vote in Maryland and Pennsylvania (at-large) and Virginia and Kentucky (by district). State legislatures chose the electors in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Vermont.
So, there were only four to six states in each of George Washington's elections in which individuals actually voted, which greatly reduces the chances of someone voting in a presidential election 68 or 72 years later. But, as Brian pointed out, it is a possibility, even though the life expectancy was considerably shorter than today.
Of course, I understand that you are asking if any voter in 1788 or 1792 was around and voting in 1860. The problem, as Brian and I (in my long-winded way) are pointing out is that because there was so little actual popular voting, there would be few records to check the answer to your question. But it is an interesting question.
-- posted by Mugwump53
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