Presidential Election Ballot Cast November 6, 1864 / SOLD
On April 13, 1863, the Ohio Legislature authorized qualified Ohio voters, in actual Military Service to vote by absentee ballot if they were away from their resident polling places on Election Day. As a result, during the Presidential Election of November 8, 1864, Ohio Soldiers & Sailors voted from Battlefields, Encampments, Ships, Field Hospitals, Forts and other Military Installations.
An absentee Ohio ballot for President showed the name of the Ohio County where the voter resided, the name of the Presidential & Vice-Presidential Candidates and the names of The Electors for those candidates. Because many Soldiers & Sailors were illiterate, ballots had engravings of candidates or patriotic symbols on them to help the voter cast his ballot for a candidate or party. Ballot scan be found in a variety of colors and sizes. Ballots printed for use by Soldiers or Sailors from one country were sometimes used by Soldiers or Sailors from a different county. The printed county name was crossed out and a new county name handwritten or passed onto the ballot.
With 78 percent of the Union electorate casting ballots, Lincoln was reelected 2,218,388 to 1,812,807. In the Electoral College, Lincoln had 212 votes to McClellan's 21.
Comes housed in 6 inch x 12 inch riker display case with red velvet backing and descriptive card.
Inventory Number: POL 135 / SOLD