Election of 1876
Colorado was admitted to the union in 1876, an election year, which meant immediate national political consequences. As a “publication of note” back east put it: "There is something repulsive in the idea that a few handfuls of miners and reckless bushwhackers should have the same representation in the Senate as Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York." By the time Colorado officially became a state that summer, it was too late to organize a presidential election in the fall. So instead, the new state legislature, with a slim Republican majority, chose the state’s allotted 3 electors. They picked the Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes – who lost the popular vote, but thanks to Colorado, won the Electoral College, 185 to 184. And that's the last time any state chose electors through its state legislature, rather than giving miners, bushwhackers and all other voters the final say.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
