The presidential election of 1876 still has people upset today - 137 years after the election, or to be more precise, 50,216 days later. In 1876, Governor Samuel Tilden (Democrat) of New York faced Governor Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) of Ohio in the presidential election.
To this date, the presidential election with the highest percentage of voter participation was in 1876. Tilden won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College to Hayes and therefore Hayes became the 19th President of the United States of America.
Four times in 57 presidential elections, the candidate who won the popular vote did not win the election, because they did not win the majority of votes of the Electoral College – 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. Some would cite these four elections as reasons why the system of electing the president should change. I won't.
It may be a surprise to most voters, but we do not directly elect the President and Vice-President of the United States of America. Electors selected by each state meet on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December after a presidential election to cast their votes for President and Vice-President.
To remedy the "problem" with the outcome of the presidential elections of 1824, 1876, 1888 and 2000, we have a solution in 2014 being pushed in Minnesota and in other states – National Popular Vote (NPV).
Currently, Minnesota's ten electoral votes are awarded on a winner-take-all basis to the presidential candidate that receives the most votes in Minnesota. Under NPV, Minnesota would enter into an interstate compact with other states and would award Minnesota's ten electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
If you're unfamiliar with the issue, please read this editorial from the Star Tribune in support of NPV and here for commentary opposing NPV.
Before I write anymore about NPV, I will disclose the following: