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TheEleconsoftheFirstThreeAmericanPresidents:HowDidAmericansElect…
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catureswerealsoprinted.Forexample,Jeńersonwaspresentedasadrunk
anarchisttryingtolaydownafederalpillar(Pastusiak1987:117).Duetohis
pro-Frenchattitude,hewasdrawnkneelingbeforethepowerofFranceand
wasofencalledaJacobin.
Eachstatecouldchooseitsownelectionday,andvotinglastedfromApril
toOctober.ElectionsstartedinAprilinNewYorkCity.Telaststatetovote
wasSouthCarolina.Inthosedays,eachelectorcasttwovotes.Tecandidate
withthemajorityofvoteswaselectedpresident,andthesecondnumberwas
electedvicepresident.SuchwaswrittenintheConstitution.TeFederalists,
therefore,arrangedforoneoftheirelectorstovoteforJohnJayratherthan
forvice-presidentialcandidateCharlesCotesworthPinckney.TeRepubli-
canshadasimilarplan,butfailedtoexecuteit.Whentheelectoralballots
wereopenedonFebruary11th,1801,JeńersonandBurrhadwon73votes
each.TomasJeńerson,asvice-presidentcountedthevotes.
Teresultswereasfollows:73electoralvotesbothforJeńersonandBurr,
65votesforAdams,64forPinckney,and1forJay.Becauseoftheequalnum-
berofvotesforJeńersonandBurr,itwasnecessarytotakeasecondvote.
TeoriginalwordingoftheConstitution,whichdidnotdistinguishbetween
electoralvotesforpresidentandvicepresident,ledtoaproblematicoutcome.
Intheeventofatieintheelectoralcollege,theConstitutionstatedthatthe
electionwouldbedecidedbytheHouseofRepresentatives.Tustheelection
wasthrownintotheHouse.
TemembersoftheHouseballotedasstatestodeterminewhetherJeńerson
orBurrwouldbecomepresident.Tereweresixteenstates,andanabsolutema-
jority(ninestates)wasrequiredforvictory.ItwascommonlyknownthatJeńer-
sonwasthecandidateforpresidentandBurrforvice-president.TeFederalists
votedforBurr,givinghimsixoftheeightstatescontrolledbythem.Teseven
delegationscontrolledbyRepublicansallvotedforJeńerson,andalsooneFed-
eralistfromGeorgia,givingJeńersoneightstates.Vermontcastablankballot.
Overthecourseofsevendays,fromFebruary11thtoFebruary17th,the
Housecastatotal35ballots.However,afer35ballots,BurrandJeńerson
stillhadanequalnumberofvotes.EachtimeJeńersonreceivedthevotesof
eightstatedelegations.Tenecessarymajoritywasnine.Inthissituation,
AlexanderHamiltonrecommendedtotheFederaliststhattheysupportJef-
fersonbecausehewasubyfarnotsodangerousaman”asBurr.Atlast,on
February17th,the36thballotwassuccessfulforJeńerson.Hewaselected
presidentaferreceivingtenvotestoBurr)sfourasvice-president.Federal-
istJamesA.BayardofDelawareandhisalliesinMarylandandVermontall
castblankballots.BayardchangedhisvotefromBurrtonoselection.Te
fourpresentrepresentativesfromSouthCarolina,allofthemFederalists,also
changedtheir3-1selectionofBurrtofourblankballots.