Congressional Record Accounts A First-Hand Look at the Selection of the President

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The most exciting moments in the history of the electoral college can be found first-hand in these accounts from the House Journal and Congressional Record. 1801 -- Election of Thomas Jefferson When Thomas Jefferson tied Aaron Burr in electoral votes, it fell to the House of Representatives to determine who would be President of the United States. House Journal account (647k, PDF format) Congressional Record: Electoral College Rules, 1801 (528k, PDF format) Copy of the Official Electoral "Scorecard" Account found in Hinds' Precedents (229k, PDF format) 1821 -- Election of James Monroe During the electoral count, objection was made to counting the votes from Missouri, which at the time had not been formally admitted as a state. Congressional Record Account (881k, PDF format) Account found in Hinds' Precedents (551k, PDF format) 1825 -- Election of John Quincy Adams When none of the four major candidates for president in 1824 received a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives was forced to determine who would be President of the United States. Congressional Record Account (8mb, PDF format) Copy of the Official Electoral "Scorecard" Account found in Hinds' Precedents (221k, PDF format) 1829 -- Election of Andrew Jackson A look at the normal proceedings of the electoral college count when there was no controversy. Congressional Record Account (315k, PDF format) Account found in Hinds' Precedents (104k, PDF format) 1865 -- Election of Abraham Lincoln The civil war called the electoral votes of Louisianna and Tennessee into question. Congressional Record Account (315k, PDF format) Account found in Hinds' Precedents (231k, PDF format) 1869 -- Election of Ulysses S. Grant In the wake of the civil war, the electoral votes of Georgia are called into question. The debate is quite lively. Congressional Record Account (444k, PDF format) Account found in Hinds' Precedents (658k, PDF format) 1873 -- Re-Election of Ulysses S. Grant Objection is again made to the electoral votes of Georgia. Congressional Record Account (1.5mb, PDF format) Account found in Hinds' Precedents (409k, PDF format) 1997 -- Election of Bill Clinton A recent, non-controversial, counting of the electoral votes. Congressional Record Account (26k, PDF format) 2000 -- Election of George W. Bush Controversy regarding the counting of votes in Florida is settled by the U.S. Supreme Court before reaching the electoral college. Congressional Record Account (242k, PDF format) Complete set of Supreme Court documents These files are in PDF format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read them.

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