The runner-up presidency : the six elections that defied America's popular will (and how our democracy remains in danger)

An entertaining and important account of presidential elections in which the winner of the popular vote lost or came all too close to losing, focusing on the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the disputed elections of 1876 and 2000, the deadlocks of 1800 and 1824 (when the elections were thrown to the House of Representatives) and the close call during the tumultuous year of 1968. Author and historian Mark Weston explains how electoral votes emerged as a compromise between the free states and slave states at the Constitutional Convention, how they were inspired by an unusual method of counting votes in ancient Rome, and how this system played out in six presidential elections that shake our faith in American democracy. The Runner-Up Presidency combines an in-depth political and numerical analysis of America's electoral system with rich narratives of our six strangest elections. . The author presents an entertaining and important account of presidential elections in which the winner of the popular vote lost or came all too close to losing, focusing on the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the disputed elections of 1876 and 2000, the deadlocks of 1800 and 1824 (when the elections were thrown to the House of Representatives) and the close call during the tumultuous year of 1968. Author and historian Mark Weston explains how electoral votes emerged as a compromise between the free states and slave states at the Constitutional Convention, how they were inspired by an unusual method of counting votes in ancient Rome, and how this system played out in six presidential elections that shake our faith in American democracy.The Runner-Up Presidency combines an in-depth political and numerical analysis of America's electoral system with rich narratives of our six strangest elections Introduction: Electoral votes: a risky game of dice What were the founders thinking? The electoral system's oddities, origins, and benefits Florida, Bush v. Gore, and the 2000 election The loser wins: Rutherford B. Hayes (1876) The loser wins again: Benjamin Harrison (1888) The house decides: Jefferson v. Burr (1800) The house decides again: John Quincy Adams v. Andrew Jackson (1824) 1968: a close call with George Wallace Direct elections and other flawed proposals to fix our system How Barack Obama nearly became a runner-up president: the search for a more perfect electoral system Two small repairs: winner-takes-most (not all) and a better way to deal with deadlocks Appendix A: Three possible constitutional amendments Appendix B: Winner-takes-most's roughly equal sacrifices from state to state Appendix C: Past elections under the winner-takes-most reform. Through the remarkable stories of six extraordinary elections, including the deadlocked contests of 1800 and 1824 decided by the House of Representatives, author Mark Weston shows how, all too often, the electoral system shakes our faith in American democracy. (dust jacket)