how ,many presidential election have there been through the course of history

How many presidential elections have there been in history?

Through 2020, there have been 59 presidential elections. This page links to the results of those historical elections, including a larger map, results and synopsis of the race. An interactive version of each map is also available, letting you change history.

How many presidential candidates have taken both the Electoral College and popular vote?

These presidential candidates didn't need to secure more popular votes to win election, due to the Electoral College. Of the 58 presidential elections in the history of the United States, 53 of the winners took both the Electoral College and the popular vote.

When was the first presidential election held?

The first presidential election was held on the first Wednesday of January in 1789. No one contested the election of George Washington, but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute, in part because he believed seeking the office would be dishonorable.

What are some interesting facts about the 2000 presidential election?

Presidential Election Facts. In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the election to George Bush. In the most highly contested election in modern history, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount of ballots, giving Bush the state’s 25 electoral votes for a total of 271 to Gore’s 255.

How many presidential elections have been contested?

Only two Presidential elections (1800 and 1824) have been decided in the House. Though not officially a contingent election, in 1876, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana submitted certificates of elections for both candidates.

What year was the closest presidential election in history?

Fourteen unpledged electors from Mississippi and Alabama cast their vote for Senator Harry F. Byrd, as did a faithless elector from Oklahoma. The 1960 presidential election was the closest election since 1916, and this closeness can be explained by a number of factors.

How many times in our history has the candidate who received the majority of the popular vote not received the majority of the Electoral College vote?

There have been five United States presidential elections in which the successful presidential candidate did not receive a plurality of the popular vote, including the 1824 election, which was the first U.S. presidential election where the popular vote was recorded.

How many times has there been a presidential tie?

Contingent elections have occurred three times in American history: in 1801, 1825, and 1837. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, the presidential and vice-presidential nominees on the ticket of the Democratic-Republican Party, received the same number of electoral votes.

Has any president won one vote?

In 1800 – Thomas Jefferson was elected President by one vote in the House of Representatives after a tie in the Electoral College. In 1824 – Andrew Jackson won the presidential popular vote but lost by one vote in the House of Representatives to John Quincy Adams after an Electoral College dead-lock.

Did George W Bush win the popular vote in 2004?

Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts won his party's nomination after defeating Senator John Edwards and several other candidates in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. In the general election, Bush won 286 of the 538 electoral votes and 50.7 percent of the popular vote.

Has the Electoral College ever voted against the majority?

Through the 2020 election, there have been a total of 165 instances of faithlessness. They have never swung an election, and nearly all have voted for third party candidates or non-candidates, as opposed to switching their support to a major opposing candidate.

How many times has the Electoral College not vote for the popular vote?

With most states following the winner-take-all approach, it is possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote, but lose the nation-wide popular vote. There have been four elections in which the person elected president won the electoral vote, but lost the popular vote (1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016).

What are the three major flaws of the Electoral College?

Three criticisms of the College are made:It is “undemocratic;”It permits the election of a candidate who does not win the most votes; and.Its winner-takes-all approach cancels the votes of the losing candidates in each state.

Has there been an election tie?

On February 17, 1801, the House of Representatives, breaking a tie in the Electoral College, elected Thomas Jefferson president of the United States. Jefferson's triumph brought an end to one of the most acrimonious presidential campaigns in U.S. history and resolved a serious Constitutional crisis.

Has the house ever chosen a President?

About this object John Quincy Adams, the only former President to be elected to the House of Representatives, earned the nickname “Old Man Eloquent.”

What happens if there is no Electoral College?

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes.

When was the first presidential election?

VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images. The first presidential election was held on the first Wednesday of January in 1789. No one contested the election of George Washington, but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute, in part because he believed seeking the office would be dishonorable.

How many votes did Lincoln get in the election?

By carrying almost the entire North, Lincoln won in the Electoral College with 180 votes to 72 for Breckinridge, 39 for Bell and 12 for Douglas. Lincoln won a popular plurality of about 40 percent, leading the popular vote with 1,766,452 to 1,376,957 for Douglas, 849,781 for Breckinridge and 588,879 for Bell.

Why did the Whigs reject Henry Clay?

Aware that Van Buren’s problems gave them a good chance for victory, the Whigs rejected the candidacy of Henry Clay, their most prominent leader, because of his support for the unpopular Second Bank of the United States. Instead, stealing a page from the Democratic emphasis on Andrew Jackson’s military exploits, they chose William Henry Harrison, a hero of early Indian wars and the War of 1812. The Whig vice-presidential nominee was John Tyler, a onetime Democrat who had broken with Jackson over his veto of the bill rechartering the Second Bank.

How many votes did George Clinton get?

Vice President George Clinton received six electoral votes for president from his native New York, but easily defeated Federalist Rufus King for vice president, 113-47, with scattered vice-presidential votes for Madison, James Monroe and John Langdon of New Hampshire.

What was the significance of the 1800 election?

The significance of the 1800 election lay in the fact that it entailed the first peaceful transfer of power between parties under the U.S. Constitution. Republican Thomas Jefferson succeeded Federalist John Adams. This peaceful transfer occurred despite defects in the Constitution that caused a breakdown of the electoral system.

What were the problems of James Monroe's first term?

During James Monroe’s first term, the country had suffered an economic depression. In addition, the extension of slavery into the territories became a political issue when Missouri sought admission as a slave state. Also causing controversy were Supreme Court decisions in the Dartmouth College case and McCulloch v. Maryland, which expanded the power of Congress and of private corporations at the expense of the states. But despite these problems, Monroe faced no organized opposition for reelection in 1820. The opposition party, the Federalists, ceased to exist.

How many votes did Jefferson and Burr get?

Therefore, Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes each; Adams received 65 votes and his vice-presidential candidate, Charles C. Pinckney, 64. John Jay received one. This result threw the election into the House of Representatives, where each state had one vote, to be decided by the majority of its delegation.

How many electoral votes do you need to be president?

To be elected President of the United States, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes. READ MORE: How the First 10 U.S. Presidents Helped Shape the Role of the Nation's Top Office.

How many times has the popular vote happened?

It has happened five times in our nation’s history: In 1824 Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but got less than 50 percent of the electoral votes. John Quincy Adams became the next president when he was picked by the House of Representatives.

How many electoral votes did Hillary Clinton get in 2016?

In 2016 Hillary Clinton won 48.2 percent of the total popular vote to Donald Trump's 46.1 percent, but lost the election to Trump. Trump won 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232. WATCH: 'The Presidents' on HISTORY Vault.

Why was Donald Trump only the 44th president?

For example, when Donald Trump was named the 45th president, he was really only the 44th president because Grover Cleveland is counted twice.

How many times has Grover Cleveland been president?

Grover Cleveland is counted twice as our 22nd and 24th president because he was elected for two nonconsecutive terms. Only 13 U.S. Presidents have been elected to office for two terms and served those two terms.

How many presidents have died in office?

Eight presidents have died in office: Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump are the only divorced men to be elected president. James Monroe received every electoral vote but one in the 1820 election. A New Hampshire delegate wanted George Washington to be the only president elected unanimously.

How many electoral votes did Bush get in 2016?

In the most highly contested election in modern history, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount of ballots, giving Bush the state’s 25 electoral votes for a total of 271 to Gore’s 255. In 2016 Hillary Clinton won 48.2 percent of the total popular vote to Donald Trump's 46.1 percent, but lost the election to Trump.

What is the first election in which the electors voted for the president?

The election of 1804 was the first one in which the electors voted for president ...

What was the first election in which the electors voted for president and vice president on separate ballots?

The election of 1804 was the first one in which the electors voted for president and vice president on separate ballots. (See Amendment XII to the Constitution.) Year. Presidential. candidate. Party. Electoral. votes. 1789 1.

How many votes did Jefferson and Burr get?

As Jefferson and Burr were tied, the House of Representatives chose the president. In a vote by states, 10 votes were cast for Jefferson, 4 for Burr; 2 votes were not cast. 3. As no candidate had an electoral-vote majority, the House of Representatives chose the president from the first three.

Who was the first woman to be elected vice president?

Kamala Harris first woman elected to be vice-president. Biden and Trump each received more votes than any prior presidential candidates. Trump only president to be renominated after being impeached and the only president to be impeached twice.

Did Biden win Maine?

Biden won Maine but Trump earned an electoral vote by winning the popular vote in the 2nd Congressional District. The reverse happened in Nebraska. This marked the first time that both states have split their electoral votes in the same election since moving to a congressional district method.

How many electoral votes did Hayes get?

After the swing vote turned in Hayes’ favor, he was awarded all 20 electoral votes from the disputed states, giving him the necessary 185. After the Democrats threatened to filibuster and block the official vote counting, the issue was settled in negotiations at D.C.’s Wormley Hotel in February 1877.

How many votes did John Adams get?

President John Adams, a member of the rival Federalist Party, managed only 65 votes. For the first of only two times in history, the election went to the House of Representatives. Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first treasury secretary, turned the tide by lobbying his fellow Federalists to throw their support to Jefferson.

What was the dispute between Hayes and Tilden?

In the U.S. Presidential election of 1876, Hayes vs. Tilden, the electoral counts from four states were in dispute, creating a stalemate that took weeks to resolve and that has been compared to the 2000 election dispute.

Why did Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr get tied for first place?

pick, Aaron Burr, tied for first place 73-73 due to a communication error among Democratic-Republican electors (or a Burr-led conspiracy, de pending on whom you believe). President John Adams, a member of the rival Federalist Party, managed only 65 votes. ...

How many members of the Senate were there in the Civil War?

As the crisis mounted, threats of another civil war loomed. In an unprecedented move, Congress established a 15-member commission of senators, congressmen and Supreme Court justices (including seven Republicans, seven Democrats and an independent) to decide the election.

What was Lincoln's political party?

The presidential election of 1860 wasn’t just contentious—it tore the nation apart. Abraham Lincoln, the chosen nominee of the fledgling Republican Party and a steadfast opponent of slavery, wasn’t even on the ballot in most Southern states.

When did Donald Trump become president?

Despite trailing Clinton in national polls, Trump won several critical states in the Midwest and Rust Belt, giving him an advantage in the Electoral College. He was inaugurated on January 20, 2017. The day after, upwards of five million people around the country protested his new administration at the Women's March .

What were the most contentious elections in American history?

The elections of 1876, 1888, 1960 and 2000 were among the most contentious in American history. In each case, the losing candidate and party dealt with the disputed results differently.

How many members of Congress were in the 1877 election?

Competing sets of election returns and electoral votes were sent to Congress to be counted in January 1877, so Congress voted to create a bipartisan commission of 15 members of Congress and Supreme Court justices to determine how to allocate the electors from the three disputed states.

Why did Democrats not argue with the compromise of 1877?

Democrats decided not to argue with that final result due to the “ Compromise of 1877 ,” in which Republicans, in return for getting Hayes in the White House, agreed to an end to Reconstruction and military occupation of the South.

What did Hayes compromise do to the South?

Hayes had an ineffective, one-term presidency, while the compromise ended up destroying any semblance of African-American political clout in the South. For the next century, southern legislatures, free from northern supervision, would implement laws discriminating against blacks and restricting their ability to vote.

What would happen if Nixon won Texas?

If Nixon had won Texas and Illinois, he would have had an Electoral College majority. While Republican-leaning newspapers proceeded to investigate and conclude that voter fraud had occurred in both states, Nixon did not contest the results.

How many votes did Harrison win in Indiana?

Democrats got a copy of the letter and publicized it widely in the days leading up to the election. Harrison ended up winning Indiana by only about 2,000 votes but still would have won in the Electoral College without the state. Cleveland actually won the national popular vote by almost 100,000 votes.

How many votes did Cleveland get?

Cleveland actually won the national popular vote by almost 100,000 votes. But he lost his home state, New York, by about 1 percent of the vote, putting Harrison over the top in the Electoral College. Cleveland’s loss in New York may have also been related to vote-buying schemes.

What did the early Americans know about the president?

The early Americans knew that they needed a single leader to help run the nation, so they created the office of the president. But before they could select one, they had to lay out the rules for electing a president. Article 2 of the Constitution laid out several important policies, all of which we still follow today.

How long does the President serve?

The president, once elected, will serve for a term of four years. The Constitution does not say anything about the process of selecting a presidential candidate beyond those requirements; political parties later developed their own systems of selecting a candidate.

How many representatives does Wyoming have?

Every state has two representatives in the Senate and a number of representatives in the House of Representatives, proportionate to their population. This means that states with lower populations, like Wyoming, only have three electors to vote for the presidency, because they have three representatives in Congress.

How many electoral votes does California have?

At the other end of the spectrum is California, which as the most populous state, has 55 representatives, and therefore 55 electoral votes. What this means is that the United States has an indirect election system. People like you and me do not vote for a president. We technically vote for electoral representatives who cast their vote ...

What was the compromise in the Constitution?

Some people wanted the president to be elected directly by the people. Others wanted Congress to choose the president. The compromise was the Electoral College, an institution which directly elects the president.

Why did George Washington run for a third term?

George Washington, the first president, was asked to run for a third term because he was so popular, but refused. Washington said that three terms kept one person in power too long. This set a precedent that almost every future president would follow.

Which amendment addresses the presidential election?

The first amendment that addresses presidential election is the Twelfth Amendment , which states that a vice president candidate has to meet the same requirements as the presidential candidate, since that person may become president. The next change was the Twenty-Second Amendment, passed in 1947.

How many electoral votes do you need to win the presidential election?

To win a modern presidential election, a candidate needs to capture 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. States are allotted electoral votes based on the number of representatives they have in the House plus their two senators. Electors are apportioned according to the population of each state, but even the least populous states are ...

How many electoral votes did Jackson get?

But to win the presidency, you need more than a plurality (the most electoral votes), you need a majority (more than half), and Jackson was 32 electoral votes shy of the mark. In cases where no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the Constitution sends the vote to the House of Representatives.

How many votes did Cleveland get?

By sweeping the South, Cleveland won the popular vote by more than 90,000 votes, but he still lost the electoral vote 233 to 168. Four years later, Cleveland came back and beat Harrison, becoming the first and only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Which amendment eliminated Clay from the running for president?

According to the 12th Amendment, the House can only vote on the top three vote-getters, which eliminated Clay from the running, but that didn’t stop Clay from allegedly wielding his influence as Speaker of the House. The House voted to make Adams president, even though Jackson had beaten Adams by 99 electoral votes to 84.

Who were the four candidates for the presidency in 1824?

Back in 1824, there were four contenders for the presidency, all members of the same Democratic-Republican party: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford and Henry Clay. When the votes were tallied, Andrew Jackson won a plurality of both the popular vote and the Electoral College. But to win the presidency, you need more ...

Who did Donald Trump beat in the 2016 presidential election?

In a surprise victory that defied most pre-election polling, outsider Republican candidate Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton, wife of the former president, Bill Clinton, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton received 2.8 million more votes in the popular vote—the largest such disparity yet.

Who won the election by the thinnest margins?

The Commission voted to give all 20 disputed electoral votes to Hayes, who won the election by the thinnest of margins: 185 to 184. Why did the Commission decide to hand the election to Hayes, ...

What were the most contentious elections in American history?

The elections of 1876, 1888, 1960 and 2000 were among the most contentious in American history. In each case, the losing candidate and party dealt with the disputed results differently.

How many electoral votes did Hayes get?

With the electoral votes from all three states, Hayes would win a 185-184 majority in the Electoral College. Competing sets of election returns and electoral votes were sent ...

Why did Democrats not argue with the compromise of 1877?

Democrats decided not to argue with that final result due to the “ Compromise of 1877 ,” in which Republicans, in return for getting Hayes in the White House, agreed to an end to Reconstruction and military occupation of the South.

What would happen if Nixon won Texas?

If Nixon had won Texas and Illinois, he would have had an Electoral College majority. While Republican-leaning newspapers proceeded to investigate and conclude that voter fraud had occurred in both states, Nixon did not contest the results. Following the example of Cleveland in 1892, Nixon ran for president again in 1968 and won.

How many votes did Harrison win in Indiana?

Democrats got a copy of the letter and publicized it widely in the days leading up to the election. Harrison ended up winning Indiana by only about 2,000 votes but still would have won in the Electoral College without the state. Cleveland actually won the national popular vote by almost 100,000 votes.

How many votes did Cleveland get?

Cleveland actually won the national popular vote by almost 100,000 votes. But he lost his home state, New York, by about 1 percent of the vote, putting Harrison over the top in the Electoral College. Cleveland’s loss in New York may have also been related to vote-buying schemes.

When did punch card voting start?

In 2000, many states were still using the punch card ballot, a voting system created in the 1960s. Even though these ballots had a long history of machine malfunctions and missed votes, no one seemed to know or care – until all Americans suddenly realized that the outdated technology had created a problem in Florida.