The people's voice., 1944-10-06
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from f-dEe OneJ
their constituents, being pledged tt
vote for their party candidates.
Gus. This system lasted for about &
quarter of century, but by 1920 the
Federalist opposition had so dimin
ished that the Republicans reelected
Monroe with only one dissenting vote
In the following election of 1924
the congressional caucus named Craw.
ford, whose nomination was disre-
garded by voters and legislatures
throughout the nation. In a few years
the. caucus was definitely abandoned
and its place was taken by state con-
ventions of delegates elected by party
voters in local districts.
In 1881 an organization not having
any members in congress, called a
national convention and named can
didates for President and Vice Presi-
dent. By 1910 this idea had been
adopted by the other political parties
and has continued to this day as the
only method of naming or nominating
presidential candidates of all parties
In the early elections, the majority
of the electors were appointed by the
state legislatures, but this franchise
was soon extended to the people, who
by 1928 voted for presidential electors
in all states except Delaware and
South Carolina. The electors were
chosen by districts, but in 1900 Vir-
ginia introduced the method of elec-
tion by general ticket, under which
the successful candidate in the popu-
lar vote of the state wins all of the
electoral votes of the state. This |
idea soon spread and by 1886 all
states used this system with the sole
exception of South Carolina which
continued to have it's electors ap-
the war between the states.
Today, however, all states elect
their presidential electors on a gen.
eral ticket and while it is rare, it is
nevertheless, possible for the electoral
vote of a state, in very close elections,
to be divided. Failure by some of the
voters to mark their ballots for ALL
Of the electors of their party might
enable the opposition to elect a num-
Der of its electors. In 1904 the popu-
ar vote in Maryland was Theodore
Roosevelt (R) 109,497 and Parker (D) =
9,446 (. and some voters voted for
'nly the first named Republican elec- =
or under the impression that they
we're voting for Roosevelt, with the
esult that seven Democratic electors
eceived greater number of votes
han the remaining Republicans and
we're chosen. Several states have
revented this possibility by passing
Avs which permit the omission en-
rely of the names of the electors
rom the ballots with the result that
vote cast for the presidential candi- tf
ate elects all electors pledged to sup IL
ort him. M
Montana's election laws provide pl
lat "At the general election in No
smber preceding the time fixed by
wv of the United States for the l
loice of President and Vice Presi- {
ent of the United States, there must I
, elected as many electors of Presi- g
INT and Vice President as this state Z
entitled to appoint. The names of :
e Presidential electors shall appear a
the ballot and in addition thereto, ?
eceding them, shall appear the u
mes of the Presidential and Vice ti
candidates in their re-
ective party designated columns sci
} square shall appear in front of the ina
mes of the Presidential electors in Ap