Jackson in 1832

[True Democrat]

How did he do so well in the South?

99.97% in Alabama (Clay literally got 5 votes)
100% in Georgia

I mean, even post-Reconstruction Democrats didn't do this well.

[Dr. Cynic]

Well, Jackson was portrayed as a common man, and there is no other state in the union with more "common men" than Alabama...

Seriously, though. Clay was also a protectionist, and it was no where more unpopular than in the strongly free trade South.

[True Democrat]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

[Gustaf]

Maybe it was one family or something like that?

Democracy was pretty new back then as well.

[minionofmidas]

There were no secret votes then, the notion had not yet been invented. People voted by public declaration.

[Dr. Cynic]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

[True Democrat]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

I think there was a time in America where it was conducted by parties.

[minionofmidas]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

Where do you get that idea from?

[minionofmidas]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

I think there was a time in America where it was conducted by parties.

I'm not sure on details for America, but over in Europe, there was a long time when the vote was secret, or at least was to be made in writing, but there were no government issue ballot papers yet. (In Germany, this period lasted right until 1918, and in Spain, until 1931. New York State had voting machines before the turn of the century, so obviously this period came to an end earlier in the US than here.) People either might hand in a slip of paper on which they'd scrawled their candidates' name - this was the norm in rural areas of Germany. Or parties might hand out ballots with the candidate's name printed on - especially advisable when there's several elections at the same time and the voters can't be depended on to know everybody's name. In parts of Germany where the Social Democrats were strong, the papers they printed were bright red.

[True Democrat]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

I think there was a time in America where it was conducted by parties.

I'm not sure on details for America, but over in Europe, there was a long time when the vote was secret, or at least was to be made in writing, but there were no government issue ballot papers yet. (In Germany, this period lasted right until 1918, and in Spain, until 1931. New York State had voting machines before the turn of the century, so obviously this period came to an end earlier in the US than here.) People either might hand in a slip of paper on which they'd scrawled their candidates' name - this was the norm in rural areas of Germany. Or parties might hand out ballots with the candidate's name printed on - especially advisable when there's several elections at the same time and the voters can't be depended on to know everybody's name. In parts of Germany where the Social Democrats were strong, the papers they printed were bright red.

I remember someone telling me the Republicans didn't get any votes in Florida in 1892 because the party chose not to pass out any ballots.

[MarkWarner08]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

I think there was a time in America where it was conducted by parties.

I'm not sure on details for America, but over in Europe, there was a long time when the vote was secret, or at least was to be made in writing, but there were no government issue ballot papers yet. (In Germany, this period lasted right until 1918, and in Spain, until 1931. New York State had voting machines before the turn of the century, so obviously this period came to an end earlier in the US than here.) People either might hand in a slip of paper on which they'd scrawled their candidates' name - this was the norm in rural areas of Germany. Or parties might hand out ballots with the candidate's name printed on - especially advisable when there's several elections at the same time and the voters can't be depended on to know everybody's name. In parts of Germany where the Social Democrats were strong, the papers they printed were bright red.

I remember someone telling me the Republicans didn't get any votes in Florida in 1892 because the party chose not to pass out any ballots.

Darn it. If only the Florida GOP had been that inept in 2000.

[jimrtex]

How did he do so well in the South?

99.97% in Alabama (Clay literally got 5 votes)
100% in Georgia

In Alabama and Georgia there were two different Jackson slates, each with a different VP candidate.  The 5 votes for Clay in Alabama may be an error; since they don't appear to be attributed to any county.

[Gustaf]

How did he do so well in the South?

99.97% in Alabama (Clay literally got 5 votes)
100% in Georgia

In Alabama and Georgia there were two different Jackson slates, each with a different VP candidate.  The 5 votes for Clay in Alabama may be an error; since they don't appear to be attributed to any county.

A very poor attempt at election fraud from Clay?

[jimrtex]

How did he do so well in the South?

99.97% in Alabama (Clay literally got 5 votes)
100% in Georgia

In Alabama and Georgia there were two different Jackson slates, each with a different VP candidate.  The 5 votes for Clay in Alabama may be an error; since they don't appear to be attributed to any county.

A very poor attempt at election fraud from Clay?

With only 5 votes I wouldn't classify it as a feat of Clay.

[minionofmidas]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

Where do you get that idea from?

Here's a party-printed ballot.

[jimrtex]

I can understand getting 100% of the vote, but weren't ballots passed out by parties at this time?  Why would the National Republicans pass out 5 ballots?

No, ballots were not passed out by the parties. Voting was conducted in much the same manner as it is today.

I think there was a time in America where it was conducted by parties.

I'm not sure on details for America,

Voting practices in the US before adoption of the Australian Ballot

[minionofmidas]

Kennedy says the government-issued ("Australian") ballot was "introduced in this country in 1888", making it sound as if it was introduced across the nation at one and the same time, which appears doubtful. Does someone maybe have a list of when which states started to issue ballot papers?

[jimrtex]

Kennedy says the government-issued ("Australian") ballot was "introduced in this country in 1888", making it sound as if it was introduced across the nation at one and the same time, which appears doubtful. Does someone maybe have a list of when which states started to issue ballot papers?

Australian Ballot
This appears fairly authoritative.  The list below is augmented from other Googled sources.

Lousville, KY Feb 24, 1888
MA, NY 1888
WI 1889
OH 1891
TX 1905
CT 1909
MO 1921
NM 1927
NC 1929
DE 1940 (party ballots still allowed and distributed outside polling places)

But this study indicates that the list above were the stragglers.

Study of effect of Australian Ballot on committee stability

The study concluded that adoption of the Australian ballot made congressmen less dependent on the party (and the presidential candidate), and more able to retain their seats.

It says 32 states had adopted the Australian ballot between 1888 and the 1892 election; and 7 more states had followed by 1896.  So it was in fact a pretty quick conversion for the most part.


1920 US History Book

This says that 44 of 48 states had adopted the Australian ballot as of present (1920 or 1921, it has Harding elected as President).

Just had to keep looking.    See page 221

The table is missing UT, OK, AZ, and NM (45th-48th states).

Only 6 of those shown per 20th century adopters (CT, NJ, AZ, NC, SC, and TX).  The first source suggests that we should include NM, and MO (which switched back from the Australian Ballot),

Interesting tidbit: In West Virginia it is legal to show yoru ballot to anyone.

[minionofmidas]

Wow, thanks. You have to much time on your hands, man.