For the first century or so of American independency , the great unwashed stayed close to plate and vote in soul at the approximate polling post — much like we do today . As NBC Newsreports , there were a couple early exception to this tradition . In 1775 , the Ithiel Town of Hollis , New Hampshire , permit Continental Army soldiers to send interpreter to vote in their stead at a local merging ; and Pennsylvanialetsoldiers ship in their ballots during theWar of 1812 , though the exercise was later adjudge unconstitutional .
But those scattered representative were n’t enough to make absentee voting a topic of national significance . During theCivil War , however , things change . If all the Union soldier stationed aside from home couldn’tvotein the presidential election of 1864 , it could potentially affect the outcome . Thinking that the majority of those soldier would indorse Republican incumbentAbraham Lincolnover Democrat George McClellan , the Republican Party began lobby for laws allowing far - flung soldiers to cast their ballots from the battleground .
In 1862 , Wisconsin became the first state to give-up the ghost such legislation , which let military leaders turn their camps into improvised polling position and mail soldiers ’ vote to res publica officials . According tothe Constitutional Accountability Center , 19 State had followed suit by the ecumenical election of 1864 . Some mandated that ballots be collected in camps and institutionalize home en masse shot , while others , like Minnesota , allowed soldiers to post in their absentee voting individually .
Meanwhile , Democrats — concern the soldiers ’ votes would hurt McClellan ’s chance of make headway — warned of elector sham and essay to block efforts to legitimate absentee ballots .
“ The soldiers are not asking or involve any such privilege or right,”wroteF.O. Thorpe , a Democratic senator from Wisconsin , “ and in our notion it is only a strategy of leading partisan in the dominant party … to earn some great vantage to their company in the future tense . ”
While Wisconsin ’s mostly Republican general assembly was able to quash Thorpe ’s objection , country legislative assembly with Democratic majorities , like Illinois ’s and Indiana ’s , didn’tpasslaws allowing soldier to vote in absentia .
Overall , about 150,000 out of 1 million soldiers ( in the Union only ; the Confederacy held its own election ) were able to vote by chain mail . Since Lincolnwonthe popular vote by more than 408,000 votes — and the electoral balloting with 212 over McClellan ’s paltry 21 — it ’s unlikely those absentee ballots in reality swung the election in his favour , but they did set the common law for blow up absentee balloting law forwars(andpandemics ) in years to come .
[ h / tNBC News ]
