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Reading the political news, you'd think this election is the nastiest, most contentious and most important our nation has ever faced. No doubt the outcome matters, but in the annals of American elections, this one barely registers for sheer strangeness.
In fact, electoral politics have always been a down-and-dirty business, starting at least as early as 1800, when our founding fathers proved themselves adept at bitter battles. Other elections have featured nasty accusations, bizarre happenstance and even the death of one of the candidates.
Read on for five of the strangest presidential elections in U.S. history.
1. The very first one, 1788-1789
The first presidential election in our nation's history was one-of-a-kind in that it was literally no contest. Organized political parties had yet to form, and George Washington ran unopposed. His victory is the only one in the nation's history to feature 100 percent of the Electoral College vote. [Quiz: Weirdest Presidential Elections]
The real question in 1788 was who would become vice president. At the time, this office was awarded to the runner-up in the electoral vote (each elector cast two votes to ensure there would be a runner-up.) Eleven candidates made a play for the vice-presidency, but John Adams came out on top.
2. It's a tie, 1800
Electoral politics got serious in 1800,louis vuitton damier graphite belt. Forget the hand-holding peace of George Washington's first run political parties were in full swing by this time, and they battled over high-stakes issues (taxes, states' rights and foreign policy alignments). Thomas Jefferson ran as the Democratic-Republican candidate and John Adams as the Federalist.
At the time, states got to pick their own election days, so voting ran from April to October (and you thought waiting for the West Coast polls to close was frustrating). Because of the complicated "pick two" voting structure in the Electoral College, the election ended up a tie between Jefferson and his vice-presidential pick, Aaron Burr. One South Carolina delegate was supposed to give one of his votes on another candidate, so as to arrange for Jefferson to win and Burr to come in second. The plan somehow went wrong, and both men ended up with 73 electoral votes.
That sent the tie-breaking vote to the House of Representatives, not all of whom were on board with a Jefferson presidency and Burr vice-presidency. Seven tense days of voting followed, but Jefferson finally pulled ahead of Burr. The drama triggered the passage of the 12th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which stipulates that the Electoral College pick the president and vice-president separately, doing away with the runner-up complications.
3. Things get nasty, 1828
Anything involving dueling war veteran Andrew Jackson was liable to get dirty, but the 1828 electoral battle between Jackson and John Quincy Adams took the cake for mud slinging. Jackson had lost out to Adams in 1824 after Speaker of the House Henry Clay cast a tie-breaking vote. When Adams chose Clay as his Secretary of State, Jackson was furious and accused the two of a "corrupt bargain."
And that was before the 1828 election even got started, when Adams was accused of pimping out an American girl to a Russian Czar. Jackson's wife, Rachel, was called a "convicted adulteress," because she had,sacoche longchamp, years earlier, married Jackson before finalizing her divorce to her previous husband. Rachel died after Jackson won the election, but before his inauguration; at her funeral, Jackson blamed his opponents' bigamy accusations. "May God Almighty forgiver her murderers, as I know she forgave them," Jackson said. "I never can." [6 Most Tragic Love Stories in History]
To round out a rough election, Jackson's inauguration party (open to the public) turned into a mob scene, with thousands of well-wishers crowding into the White House.
"Ladies fainted, men were seen with bloody noses, and such a scene of confusion took place as is impossible to describe," wrote Margaret Smith, a Washington socialite who attended the party.
4. Running against a corpse, 1872
In 1872, incumbent Ulysses S. Grant had an easy run for a second term because his opponent died before the final votes were cast.
Grant had the election in the bag even before his opponent, Horace Greeley,d&g belt, died, however. The incumbent won 286 electoral votes compared with Greeley's 66 after election day. But on Nov. 29, 1872, before the Electoral College votes were in, Greeley died and his electoral votes were split among other candidates. Greeley remains the only presidential candidate to die before the election was finalized.
5,nike blazers low. The hanging chads, 2000
Democrat Al Gore beat Republican George W. Bush in the popular vote in the 2000 election, but the electoral vote was a close, and controversial, call. As election night drew to a close, New Mexico, Oregon and Florida remained too close to call.
It would be Florida that determined the winner, but not until the Supreme Court weighed in. For a month, the outcome of the election remained in recount limbo, as Gore's campaign contested the vote count in several close counties and the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts engaged in a tug-of-war over whether to halt the recounts or extend their deadlines. Among the challenges faced by the hand counts: determining whether semi-attached scraps of paper, or "hanging chads," on punch-card ballots should count as votes.
Ultimately, on Dec. 12, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a statewide recount was unconstitutional, alongside a further decision that the smaller recounts could not go forward. The decision meant the original vote counts stood, giving the election to Bush.
Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappasor LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook& Google+.
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Hundreds of voter fraud billboards in and around three large swing-state cities have indirect ties to Bain Capital, the investment company founded by Mitt Romney. NPR reports 85 billboards near Milwaukee and 60 among Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, announce "Voter Fraud is a Felony!" Some voting rights advocates and Democrats show concern these billboards may discourage people to vote.
How are these billboards tied to Bain Capital?
The NPR story notes Romney hasn't worked for Bain Capital for years. Every billboard space is owned by Clear Channel Outdoor, which is largely owned by Bain Capital. The person and/or group that paid for the advertising space with less than three weeks until the election remains anonymous.
Why are these signs a concern to voter advocacy groups?
Although the signs are factually accurate, concerned groups worry the location of the ads may affect minority voters. Many of the billboards can be found near Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods. Common Cause,gucci belt sale, a citizen advocacy group, plans to buy $30,000 in counter signs encouraging residents in these cities to vote. ABC News and Univision report 20 billboards will appear in neighborhoods in Cleveland where the voter fraud signs already exist.
What can be done about the voter fraud billboards?
Reuters reveals the billboards will remain visible through election day on Nov. 6. Online petitions signed by tens of thousands of people encourage Clear Channel to take down the signs. However, local Democrats fear the signs will force some people to think twice about voting. City Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, whose district in Cleveland has most of the city's anti-fraud billboards,Nike Heels, called the ads "insidious",mens gucci belt; and will "intimidate" voters,nike lunar hyperdunk, according to Reuters article.
How often does fraud pose a serious threat to American voting rights?
The Chronicle-Telegram of northern Ohio cites statistics from two government sources that detail the ratio between number of ballots cast and instances of voter fraud convictions regarding federal elections. The report states 649 million ballots were cast in general elections from 2000 to 2010 using Census Bureau numbers. Seventy people were convicted of federal voting crimes from 2002 to 2005. Five of those were for voter registration issues. The report cited Justice Department figures regarding the convictions.
What has Clear Channel said about the controversy?
The media conglomerate was criticized for funding similar anonymous billboards in Milwaukee in 2010 during mid-term elections, according to the NPR piece. A spokesperson for Clear Channel told the national radio outlet anonymous advertisers are "against company policy" and that a "mistake was made" when the contract was signed for these billboards.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.