THE PLOT TO DENY JFK THE PRESIDENCY
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) In the Election of 1960, there was "a coalition of opponents (who) plotted to deny" Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) "the presidency in the electoral college*. Most were White, conservative electors from the south."
So writes Ronald G. Shafer of the Washington Post. Shafer states that this coalition hoped to elect Senator Harry Byrd (D-Virginia) and Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) president and vice-president.
The Kennedy-Johnson ticket won the popular vote by a 113,000 margin out of 69 million votes cast. Republicans filed lawsuits claiming voter fraud in Texas and Illinois. Both were dismissed and Vice-President Richard M. Nixon refused to challenge the election results.
JFK won the electoral college vote 303 to 219 with third party candidate Harry Byrd winning 15 electoral votes. Vice-President Nixon announced his own defeat after the votes were counted in the United States Senate in early January 1960.
*Electoral College is a group of presidential electors required by the US Constitution to elect the President & Vice-President every 4 years. There are 538 electors representing the 50 states & District of Columbia. A majority, or 270 votes, are required to win the presidency.
The term Electoral College is not found in the Constitution but came into use in the early 19th century to describe the electors collectively.
SOURCE
"Hijacking the electoral college: The plot to deny JFK the presidency 60 years ago," by Ronald G. Shafer, December 13, 2020, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/
