The Long Road to Letting People Vote
1789: Almost Nobody Gets a Say
In the very first presidential election, only 5 states let their citizens vote for electors in any form. In the rest, state legislators simply appointed them. George Washington won unanimously, so it didn’t cause much controversy at the time.
Most Americans were fine with this arrangement—or at least, they didn’t have much choice in the matter.
1812: Slow and Steady Progress
By the time the War of 1812 rolled around, things were starting to shift. About half the states had adopted some form of popular voting for electors. But the other half? Still clinging to the old system where legislators made the choice.
The change was happening, but it was gradual and uneven.
1824: The Election That Changed Everything
Then came 1824—the election that lit a fire under the whole country.
By this point, 18 out of 24 states were using the popular vote. Andrew Jackson, a war hero and populist favorite, won more popular votes than anyone else. He also won more electoral votes than any other candidate.
But he didn’t win a majority of electoral votes, so the decision went to the House of Representatives. There, political wheeling and dealing resulted in John Quincy Adams becoming president instead.
Jackson’s supporters were furious. They called it the “Corrupt Bargain” and spent the next four years demanding reform. The message was clear: if regular people could vote, their choice should actually matter.
1828: The Floodgates Open
The outrage worked. By 1828, 22 out of 24 states had switched to statewide popular voting for presidential electors.
Only two holdouts remained: Delaware and South Carolina. Delaware would drop its legislative appointment system soon after. South Carolina, however, had other plans.
1860-1868: The Final Holdout
South Carolina stubbornly refused to let its citizens vote for president. Even as the Civil War approached and the nation fractured, South Carolina’s legislature kept control over choosing electors.
It wasn’t until after the war ended—and after South Carolina was forced to write a new state constitution in 1868—that the state finally adopted popular voting for president.
With that, the transition was complete. Every state now used the popular vote to choose its presidential electors.
Why Did This Happen?
Two big forces drove this transformation.
The People Demanded It
The early 1800s saw a massive wave of democratization, often called “Jacksonian Democracy” after Andrew Jackson. States began eliminating laws that required voters to own property—rules that had kept most white men from voting.
As more ordinary people gained the right to vote, they naturally wanted a say in choosing the president. The old system of legislative appointment started to feel undemocratic and out of touch.
Political Parties Saw an Opportunity
At the same time, political parties were becoming more organized and sophisticated. Party leaders realized something important: it was easier to win elections by rallying thousands of everyday voters than by lobbying a few dozen state legislators.
Statewide campaigns, party newspapers, and mass rallies became the new tools of politics. The popular vote wasn’t just more democratic—it was more effective for winning power.
What About Today?
Here’s the twist: even though every state now uses a popular vote to choose electors, we still don’t directly elect the president.
The Electoral College remains in place. In 48 states plus Washington D.C., whichever candidate wins the most votes in that state gets all of its electoral votes. This is called “winner-take-all.”
Maine and Nebraska do things slightly differently, splitting some of their electoral votes by congressional district.
This system means it’s possible—and it has happened—for a candidate to win the national popular vote but lose the presidency. It’s a reminder that while Americans fought hard to win the right to vote for president, the system they won is still indirect and complicated.
The Bottom Line
The shift from legislative appointment to popular voting took nearly 80 years, driven by public anger, democratic ideals, and political strategy. It was messy, uneven, and sometimes contentious.
But it fundamentally changed American democracy. Today, we take for granted that citizens should vote for president. In 1789, that idea was radical—and in most states, it wasn’t even allowed.
The fight to let people vote for president is a reminder that democracy isn’t something you achieve once and keep forever. It’s something each generation has to expand, defend, and sometimes fight for all over again.
