Recap of the Popular Vote
James Monroe was effectively elected the fifth U.S. President by the popular vote of 1816. He won 121 electoral votes to three unpledged Federalists; the needed majority was 110.
Nine states chose Presidential Electors through their legislatures in 1816: CT, DE, GA, IN, LA, MA, NY, SC, and VT. Of these, the DRP had substantial majorities in five while the Federalists had substantial majorities in three. The legislatures elected 62 Monroe Electors and 35 unpledged Federalist Electors.
Casting the Electoral Votes
The Presidential Electors met in their respective state capitols on 12/4/1816 to cast the electoral votes. The Democratic Republican Electors dutifully gave Monroe and Tompkins 183 electoral votes. The Federalists were not organized. The three Federalist Electors in Maryland abstained from voting, as did one in Delaware. The remaining 34 voted for King for President, but each state had a different running mate for him: John E. Howard in MA, James Ross (PA) and John Marshall in CT, and Robert G. Harper (MD) in DE.
Joint Session of Congress
Congress assembled in joint session to count the electoral vote in the U.S. House chamber on 2/12/1817. President pro tempore John Gaillard SC presided. Tellers were U.S. Sen. Nathaniel Macon NC and U.S. Reps. Timothy Pitkin CT and John G. Jackson VA.
Gaillard broke the seals on the returns and read them. Rep. John W. Taylor NY objected to reading the vote of IN, and the Senators withdrew to allow the House to decide how to proceed.
The House was unable to reach a decision on Indiana. Taylor made the case that the state's vote should not be counted because it had not been admitted to the Union by the time of the election. Daniel Cady NY argued that since the Senators and the Representative from Indiana were now serving, it would be inconsistent to refuse the electoral vote of the state. William Gaston NC argued that the act directing Indiana to draft a constitution did not require its new constitution to be approved by Congress, so in his view the electoral votes could be considered valid. Thomas B. Robinson LA objected to Congress determining which were valid states, which he saw as a violation of state's rights.
The Senators returned after receiving a note from the House that no resolution was reached. Speaker of the House Henry Clay told the Senators that the House saw no need to resolve the issue of the vote of Indiana. Thereupon, the vote of Indiana was read. Gaillard declared Monroe and Tompkins to have been elected president and vice president, and the Senators departed, ending the joint session. [Daily National Intelligencer, 2/14/1817]
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