President Adams, by One Vote

A One-Vote Oddity

President Adams (Continued from previous post)

Torn with doubt and confusion, Rensselaer, a devout Christian, bowed his head in prayer and asked for guidance. When he opened his eyes, they fell upon an Adams ballot on the floor. It tipped the scale. He had prayed; he had sought guidance and now he was ready. He cast his vote for Adams. The 17-17 deadlock in the New York House delegation was broken—18-16, and John Quincy Adams became the 6^th President of the United States by one vote.

This wasn’t the only “one vote” margin in the election of 1824. When all the results were tabulated, it was found that a one vote change in five other states would have deprived Adams the Presidency. Think about it. In six states, there was a deadlock in the delegates. One person in six different states tipped the scale for Adams. You could say that in this one election, Adams won the election by one vote six different times—despite the fact that Jackson had won the most states, national popular vote, and the Electoral College vote! One vote can truly make a difference.

Remember that on Election Day.

Final Note

That wasn’t the end of “Old Hickory” (Andrew Jackson) and voting controversy. But for that you will have read By a Single Vote! One-Vote Decisions that Changed American History, by Edmund Lindop.¹⁴

Footnote:

14. Lindop, Edmund. By a Single Vote! One-Vote Decisions that Changed American History. (Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1987).