8 Most Contentious US Presidential Elections

by Michael

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Posted on 24-01-2021 03:39 PM

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The 1876 united states presidential election was the 23rd quadrennial presidential election , held on tuesday, november 7, 1876, in which republican nominee rutherford b. Hayes faced democrat samuel j. Tilden. It was one of the most contentious presidential elections in american history, and gave rise to the compromise of 1877 by which the democrats conceded the election to hayes in return for an end to reconstruction and the withdrawal of federal troops from the south. After a controversial post-election process, hayes was declared the winner.

7 Firsts in US Presidential Election History

Temple, tx — contested us presidential elections can date back to some of the first presidencies, and they happen in almost every election. However, the extent to which they’re challenged is another story. Dr. Timothy hemmis, an american history professor at texas a&m central texas, said we can trace election turmoil back to the 1700s.

Instructor political science noncredit certificate learn about political systems and their history in this engaging online learning environment. Students will explore contested elections, the role and power of the three branches of government and analyze the election process. Upon completion of contested elections, powers of the three branches of government and the presidential election process explained, students will have a deeper understanding of the forces that shape law, society and the economy.

Most states require that all electoral votes go to the candidate who receives the most votes in that state. After state election officials certify the popular vote of each state, the winning slate of electors meet in the state capital and cast two ballots—one for vice president and one for president. Electors cannot vote for a presidential and vice presidential candidate who both hail from an elector’s home state. For instance, if both candidates come from new york, new york’s electors may vote for one of the candidates, but not both. In this hypothetical scenario, however, delaware’s electors may vote for both new york candidates. This requirement is a holdover from early american history when one of the country’s major political fault lines divided big states from small states. The founders hoped this rule would prevent the largest states from dominating presidential elections.

Judy woodruff: with president trump's refusal to accept the results of the election, tensions continue throughout the country, as his supporters double down on his message. Those calling for mr. Trump to concede point to the long history of presidential concessions that have helped maintain peaceful transfers of power. I'm joined now by david priess. He is the chief operating officer at the lawfare institute and a former intelligence officer at the central intelligence agency. He is also author of "how to get rid of a president. " it's a history of the many ways presidents leave office or are pushed toward the exit.

How Does a Candidate Contest an Election?

A contested election takes place when the losing candidate in the election demands a recount of votes. An election is most commonly contested when the margin of votes tallied is close enough to be challenged. Some states have statutory vote recounts when the difference in vote totals is within a certain percentage. In rare cases, an election is contested when one candidate or party is able to substantiate an allegation of election fraud.

As states continue to count their ballots in the 2020 election, it seems possible that democrats and republicans will end up in court over whether president trump will win a second term in the white house. President trump has said he’s going to contest the election results – going so far as to say that he believes the election will ultimately be decided by the supreme court. Meanwhile, democratic presidential candidate joe biden has a team of lawyers lined up for a legal battle.

The 2020 united states presidential election is shaping up to be one of the messiest and most unusual political contests in modern memory—with shouting-match debates , historic turnout for early voting , and a supreme court confirmation just eight days before the election. No one can say for sure when the country will have a clear winner and, more important, what will happen if either one of the candidates does not accept the results.

Ugandan opposition candidate bobi wine faced longtime president yoweri museveni in yesterday's election, official results are expected on saturday. Rachel martin, host: we turn now to uganda. There was a presidential election held in the country yesterday. President yoweri museveni is fending off a challenge from singer turned politician bobi wine. Wine is contesting the results of the election. And a large security presence was outside his home today. And we find npr's eyder peralta there outside the house in the capital city, kampala. Eyder, thanks for jumping on the line with us. Just describe what you're seeing right now.

By archives on november 13, 2020 article i, section 5, clause 1 of the constitution grants congress the authority to determine its membership. Under this provision, when a candidate disputes the results of an election, a situation known as a “contested election,” the house determines who should be seated. When joseph h. Rainey of south carolina served in the house of representatives from 1870 to 1879 as its first black representative , the political inroads made during reconstruction by blacks in the south started to disintegrate rapidly. The contested election was weaponized as a method of excluding african americans from representation in congress. The records of the committee on elections, part of the official records of the house of representatives, document rainey’s battle to prevail in two contested elections.

President donald trump is not the first candidate to contest the results of a u. S. Presidential election. Allegations of voter fraud swirled around the 1960 contest between democrat john f. Kennedy and republican richard nixon. Republicans suspected that chicago mayor richard daley fraudulently delivered just enough votes to give kennedy the state of illinois and the presidency. But nixon ultimately declined to pursue the matter.

Federal Contested Elections Act

October 5, 2020 by scott bomboy the electoral college is a uniquely american institution and no stranger to controversy. But legally contested presidential elections within its system are not the norm for a part of the constitution that dates back to 1787. However, in 2020 the possibility of a contested presidential election has been discussed, at least among academics, for months. One factor is the spate of lawsuits involving voting by mail options related to the covid-19 crisis. According to the election law blog , at least 300 lawsuits were in play as of september 28 related to covid-19 election issues, ranging from disputes about the postal service to deadlines to witness requirements.

The 2020 race is shaping up to be a controversial election, including president trump’s campaign demanding a recount in wisconsin, but it’s hardly the first time in u. S. History that an election’s outcome was contested. The onion looks back at a history of contested elections in the u. S. 1800: many people think america always had a functional democracy, but the system actually broke after just two tries.

The solid popular majority (including ex-slaves in the south protected by the actual or threatened presence of federal troops) that had reelected civil war hero ulysses s. Grant in 1872 had been weakened by a sustained economic depression, systemic corruption, and southern white resistance to (and northern white fatigue with) reconstruction. The midterm elections of 1874 produced an epochal 94-seat swing in house seats (there were only 293 seats at the time) towards democrats, who won the chamber, even as “redemption” movements aimed at restoring white political power (often behind ex-confederate leaders) made big gains in the south.

Poll watchers represent political parties, candidates, or groups such as ballot issue committees at polling locations with the primary goal of guarding a party or group’s chance at a fair election. The 2020 presidential election was first since 1980 without court supervision over republican poll watching activity. Following the 1981 new jersey gubernatorial election, the democratic national committee and republican national committee agreed on a consent decree, which required a federal court to approve rnc poll-watching programs. The decree was allowed to expire in 2018. What does this mean for elections in 2020? click here to find out.

In the weeks leading up to tuesday’s election, scholars and political commentators have been busy gaming out doomsday scenarios on the small, but unlikely, chance that there is a contested result. Despite the existence of laws designed to mediate such disputes, concerns abound because of the tremendous uncertainty in the constitutional and statutory framework governing federal elections.

So what does a 50-50 senate get president-elect joe biden?washington has barely had time to process the implications of democratic control after two georgia runoff elections that are delivering the senate to democrats. Hours after the races were decided, a mob of zealots ransacked the u. S. Capitol and reshaped the national and political landscape. The unexpected new balance of power giving democrats only the barest control of congress has big consequences for the president-elect — easy confirmation of his cabinet most importantly — but the road ahead for his ambitious legislative agenda remains complicated and murky. Republicans remain poised to block most of biden's proposals, just as they thwarted much of president barack obama's efforts on capitol hill. But 50/50 control permits action on special legislation that can't be filibustered, and momentum for the popular parts of covid-19 relief could easily propel an early aid bill into law. What 50-50 really gets — and doesn't get — biden as he takes office:___what biden does getnominationswith democrats chairing committees in the senate and only needing a majority to win floor votes on nominations, biden is now assured of sealing confirmation of his cabinet and judicial picks — including potentially for the supreme court. It also means controversial choices such as neera tanden, biden's pick for budget director, can look ahead to assuming their posts. Republicans can slow but not stop nominations. Related video — biden: advisers to lead with 'science and truth'budget ‘reconciliation’democrats also have the opportunity to pass special budget-related legislation by a simple majority, an often-arcane process that enabled obama to finish his 2010 health care bill and gave president donald trump's gop allies a failed chance to repeal “obamacare” and passage of a tax overhaul bill. Biden could use this so-called budget reconciliation process to pass more controversial elements of covid-19 relief with only democratic votes, repeal some of trump's tax cuts or make federal health care programs more generous, for example. Setting the agendasenate democratic leader chuck schumer — he'll be majority leader once the two new georgia senators and vice president-elect kamala harris are all sworn into office — now has the opportunity to bring legislation to the floor and force votes. That could permit passage of $2,000 direct covid-19 relief payments and other aid, for instance, and could mean debates on issues like police reform, immigration and climate change. But passage of such legislation would require support from republicans, which gives the minority party enormous leverage. ____what biden doesn't getelimination of the filibusterbefore the november election, pressure had been mounting from the democratic left to eliminate the filibuster, leading republicans to charge that democrats would pack the supreme court or give statehood to democratic strongholds such as the district of columbia. Moderate democrat joe manchin of west virginia says he'll block any attempt to eliminate the filibuster, so party progressives may be wasting their breath on this topic now. Bipartisanshipunified control of the government by one party almost invariably drives the two sides apart. Recent events — hard-won passage of a $900 billion covid-19 relief bill and a sweeping override of trump's veto of the annual defense bill — have been evidence that the vanishing congressional middle can help drive outcomes on capitol hill. But issues like increasing the debt limit instantly become partisan, and the political incentives for many republicans heading into the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election are to vilify biden and democrats controlling congress. Expect a short honeymoon for biden. Progressive messaging prioritiesa 50-50 democratic senate and bare control of the house grant virtually any individual democrat the ability to gum up the works. That means impossible-to-pass ideas like “medicare for all” and a green new deal aren't going to be the focus of schumer and house speaker nancy pelosi. That could, over time, frustrate liberals and cause them to issue demands related to bills that actually can pass like infrastructure spending and budget reconciliation proposals.

When Can Congress Intervene in Presidential Elections?

Recent examples on the web: adjective state residents voted to re-elect republican sen. Steve daines despite a challenge from popular former gov. Steve bullock. — thomas barrabi, fox news, "montana sen. Jon tester says democrats' message to rural voters is 'really, really flawed'," 17 dec. 2020 in an initial statement after the election, a gsa spokesperson said that the biden transition team is receiving pre-elect services which include office space, computers, and background investigations for security clearances. — grace segers, cbs news, "what is the gsa, and what role does it play in the presidential transition?," 23 nov. 2020 contact between presidents-elect and foreign leaders during the transition period between administrations is often the subject of close scrutiny, as in the period after the 2016 presidential election. — adam taylor, washington post, "what we know about president-elect biden’s phone calls with world leaders," 12 nov. 2020 until an ascertainment is made, the statute allows for the biden transition team to continue to receive the pre-elect services from the government (e. G. , limited office space, computers, background investigations for security clearances). — jerry dunleavy, washington examiner, "biden denied transition funds as trump refuses to concede," 8 nov. 2020 it’s time to become proactive and elect people who honor labor and not just capital. — anchorage daily news, "candidate q&a: alaska house district 15 — lyn franks," 3 oct. 2020 but putting him officially at the helm of blm was deemed too much of a liability in the party’s attempts to re-elect republican senators cory gardener and steve daines, who are facing democratic challengers in colorado and montana, respectively. — kate aronoff, the new republic, "trump’s fire sale of public lands for oil and gas drillers," 9 sep. 2020 the former new york city mayor, who has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into helping elect democrats in congress over the years, could also help down-ballot democrats in 2020. — benjamin siegel, abc news, "how bloomberg could help joe biden take on trump," 5 mar. 2020 now, many teachers have translated that energy to the realm of electoral politics, helping elect candidates who pledge to protect education funding while ousting lawmakers who opposed their causes. — bostonglobe. Com, "when they marched on the statehouse in frankfort, kentucky, in the midst of a spring snowstorm and a political firestorm last year, teachers warned the governor: ‘‘we’ll remember in november. ’’," 8 nov. 2019 recent examples on the web: noun the delay denied the democratic president-elect access to highly classified national security briefings and hindered his team's ability to begin drawing up its own plans to respond to the raging coronavirus pandemic. — arkansas online, "biden transition ok'd to start as trump runs out of options," 24 nov. 2020 the move confused and peeved other representatives-elect on both sides of the aisle. — kerry picket, washington examiner, "chip roy objects to seating house members who plan to fight biden's white house win," 3 jan. 2021 as mccollum graduates along with three of his fellow offensive linemen, a&m will be likely to miss their chemistry and experience if all four elect to not return for another season. — hannah underwood, dallas news, "5 texas a&m players who exceeded expectations in 2020: wr caleb chapman made a big impression before season-ending injury," 28 dec. 2020 in 2018, atiq was named chairman-elect of the board of governors of the american college of physicians. — lara farrar, arkansas online, "shut this year, cancer clinic forgives debts," 25 dec. 2020 the makeup of the board of supervisors is scheduled to change on jan. 4, when longtime supervisors dianne jacob and greg cox retire due to term limits and supervisors-elect terra lawson-remer and nora vargas are sworn in. — jeff mcdonald, san diego union-tribune, "sheriff reverses course on plan to outsource health care in county jails," 24 dec. 2020 earlier this year, republican representative-elect marjorie taylor greene had doles escorted out of a september rally that loeffler briefly attended, the journal-constitution reported. — washington post, "loeffler’s campaign says senator had ‘no idea’ she took picture with former kkk leader," 14 dec. 2020 federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like biden opposed to capital punishment. — michael tarm, chicagotribune. Com, "us carries out rare execution during presidential transition," 10 dec. 2020 on monday, williams will be wearing four different hats: presidential elector, state democratic party chairwoman, state senator, and representative-elect. — emily larsen, washington examiner, "clintons among notable electors voting for president," 14 dec. 2020 recent examples on the web: verb cushman worked to elect patrick colbeck, the former state senator and trump ally who has peddled false allegations about michigan's election, when colbeck ran for governor. — ashley nerbovig, detroit free press, "united by disinformation, trump's supporters share dueling accounts of jan. 6 insurrection," 10 jan. 2021 joe biden's selection of judge merrick garland as his attorney general likely gives the president-elect the opportunity to begin reworking the powerful u. S. Court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit. — nicholas rowan, washington examiner, "merrick garland move to justice will give biden new pick for influential dc appeals court," 8 jan. 2021 the house is expected to elect lancaster county republican representative bryan cutler as speaker. — cbs news, "pennsylvania legislature blocks swearing-in of democratic incumbent," 5 jan. 2021 voters would cast ballots to elect three or five representatives from their districts on proportional grounds, thus ensuring that the minority in that district would still receive some representation. — matt ford, the new republic, "how to fix the house of representatives," 31 dec. 2020 in the house, 21 votes are needed to elect a speaker and control the flow of legislation. — james brooks, anchorage daily news, "alaska lawmakers say state house is unlikely to choose a leader before session," 30 dec. 2020 taking the shot on television gave the president-elect another opportunity to reinforce his point that his administration would embrace science. — evan halper, los angeles times, "biden takes stage to get vaccine as trump hedges on it," 21 dec. 2020 the window to elect benefits has already passed at many businesses, though some workers have until dec. 31. — cleveland, "area finance expert offers tips for the end of a year like no other," 20 dec. 2020 biden is taking office following four years of steadily worsening ties after u. S. Intelligence agencies concluded that russia intervened in the 2016 election campaign to help elect trump. — ilya arkhipov, bloomberg. Com, "hack attack adds to putin’s mystique even if russia faces pain," 19 dec. 2020.

We will be relying on the data compiled and projections called by the associated press and cbs news for the presidential race, u. S. Senate races and u. S. Congress races. For local races, we will update election face mask for best friends face mask funny election election best politics face mask results via the county boards of elections and put those results here: wusa9. Com/elections. We will project winners when 100% of precincts are reported or if we can mathematically determine if a candidate or an issue cannot come back and take the lead.

When Does the Supreme Court Get Involved in Contested Elections?

Constitutional basis[ edit ] article i, section 5 of the constitution states: "each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members ". Article i, section 4 permits congress to "make or alter" state regulations concerning election face mask election face mask for men election sarcasm face mask s. As a result, the house or senate have final authority to decide a contested election, superseding even a state legislature or court. Court cases have held that house decisions of contested elections cannot be brought to the courts on appeal , not even the united states supreme court , as they are political in nature. [ citation needed ] the supreme court did hear powell v. Mccormack in 1969 and set a major precedent with regard to the meaning of "qualifications", however.

If the Governor and the State Legislature Send Different Results

Republican-controlled state legislatures could disagree with a democratic governor's certification of results declaring biden the eventual winner after mail ballots were counted, taking the false position that mail-in voting is fundamentally rife with fraud and thus the initial results showing trump leading from in-person votes are the only valid ones.

If a State Doesn't Certify the Votes by the Safe Harbor Deadline

States must appoint their electors before the electoral college meets to formally cast its votes. This year, the deadline to choose electors to ensure their votes are counted by congress is dec. 8. This is known as the “safe harbor” deadline. Recounts and legal challenges could threaten a state’s ability to meet the deadline.

A History of Contested Presidential Elections

Most contested presidential elections have not posed threats to the legitimacy of government. Legitimacy, or the collective acknowledgment that government has a right to rule, is essential to a democracy. In a legitimate system, unpopular policies are largely accepted because citizens believe that government has the right to make them. For example, a citizen may despise taxes but still admit that they are lawful. Illegitimate systems, which are not supported by citizens, can collapse or descend into revolution.

Most contested presidential elections have not posed threats to the legitimacy of government. Legitimacy, or the collective acknowledgment that government has a right to rule, is essential to a democracy. In a legitimate system, unpopular policies are largely accepted because citizens believe that government has the right to make them. For example, a citizen may despise taxes but still admit that they are lawful. Illegitimate systems, which are not supported by citizens, can collapse or descend into revolution.

This legislative option pursued by hart highlights the checks and balances placed in  governmental structures that allow appeals for redress to legislative bodies in the event that discrepancies in an election process produce a contested result. This is explicitly the case for presidential elections under the u. S. Constitution, where full authority is given to state legislatures to appoint electors to vote for the president.

No matter the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it seems likely that Democrats and Republicans will end up in court.

This article is republished here with permission from the conversation. This content is shared here because the topic may interest snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of snopes fact-checkers or editors. No matter the outcome of the presidential election, it seems likely that democrats and republicans will end up in court.

The compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement between southern democrats and allies of the republican rutherford hayes to settle the result of the 1876 presidential election and marked the end of the reconstruction era. Immediately after the presidential election of 1876, it became clear that the outcome of the race hinged largely on disputed returns from florida, louisiana and south carolina–the only three states in the south with reconstruction-era republican governments still in power. As a bipartisan congressional commission debated over the outcome early in 1877, allies of the republican party candidate rutherford hayes met in secret with moderate southern democrats in order to negotiate acceptance of hayes’ election. The democrats agreed not to block hayes’ victory on the condition that republicans withdraw all federal troops from the south, thus consolidating democratic control over the region. As a result of the so-called compromise of 1877 (or compromise of 1876), florida, louisiana and south carolina became democratic once again, effectively bringing an end to the reconstruction era.

A chaotic 2020, including a contentious presidential election amid a global pandemic and a state of bitter polarization in america, has led to a lot of uncertainty. What happens when the results are contested in court? will the united states have a president by inauguration day? more than 100 million americans voted prior to election day this year, many by mail, due to health concerns about casting a vote in person — leading to delayed results, as many experts had predicted.

When it comes to contested election results, we have no less than four to go on. There was the 1800 presidential election, which ultimately proved to be a contest between thomas jefferson and aaron burr, who tied at 72 electoral college votes each. Per the constitution, the vote went to the house of representatives, where, after six days and 36 rounds of voting, jefferson was dubbed the winner.

Choosing each state's electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each state choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Second, during the general election, the voters in each state select their state's electors by casting their ballots. The first part of the process is controlled by the political parties in each state and varies from state to state. Generally, the parties either nominate slates of potential electors at their state party conventions or they chose them by a vote of the party's central committee. This happens in each state for each party by whatever rules the state party and (sometimes) the national party have for the process. This first part of the process results in each presidential candidate having their own unique slate of potential electors.

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