Your vote is important

In preparing for the November 5, 2024, General Election, your Elections team has taken steps to improve the security of the election system and worked with local, state, and federal agencies to prepare for many contingencies. We also focused additional effort on voter registration database maintenance. Your vote matters and can shape history at the local, state, and federal level, including determining the slate of Washington State’s electors to the Electoral College.

Some say our nation is “more divided than ever”. American history is peppered with divisive elections. The 1876 Presidential Election is one example. In that election, Democratic Party candidate New York Governor Samuel Tilden won 254,694 more popular votes than Republican Party candidate Ohio Governor Rutheford B. Hayes. In the Electoral College, Tilden led Hayes with 184 votes to 165, with the 19 votes from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina disputed because their election results were too close to call. One Oregon electoral vote was disputed when a Tilden elector was declared unconstitutional. 185 electoral votes were required to win the presidency. Tilden was one vote short. The nation faced a constitutional crisis.

In January 1877, Congress passed, and President Grant signed legislation creating the Electoral Commission (5 congressmen, 5 senators, 5 Supreme Court justices) to decide the election outcome. Of the 15 members, there were 7 Democrats, 7 Republicans and 1 independent, Justice David Davis. However, the Illinois Legislature later elected Davis to the Senate, and he was replaced with Republican Justice Joseph P. Bradley. Following straight party line votes, the Commission decided all disputed contests in favor of Hayes awarding him the 20 disputed Electoral College votes (giving him 185) and the presidency.

Democrats in congress filibustered the Commission's decision, preventing the inauguration of President Hayes. Weeks passed and tensions rose across the nation. Some speculated that the Country was headed toward another civil war. In February 1877, the political parties came together and negotiated the Compromise of 1877. Democrats agreed to accept Hayes as President, if Hayes agreed to essentially end Reconstruction and withdraw federal troops from Southern states. On March 2, 1877, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate confirmed Hayes as the 19th President of the United States. The nation survived.

Now it’s your time to vote! Please confirm your voter registration address and mailing address at the VoteWA voter portal at https://voter.votewa.gov/portal2023/login.aspx and invest time to learn about the candidates and measures on the ballot. Get involved as an election observer or part-time helper. Your Elections team remains committed to administering your elections with integrity and ensuring every legal vote is counted correctly. If you have questions or need assistance with registration or voting, contact us at 360-427-9670 Ext. 470, or by e-mail at [email protected]. You can also visit the Shelton Vote Center at 411 N 5th Street, or the temporary Belfair Vote Center at 460 NE Old Belfair Highway (open with limited hours of operation October 28-31, and November 1,2, 4, and Election Day November 5, 2024).