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Electoral College (Confederate States)

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Electoral College (Confederate States)

The Electoral College of the Confederate States was the institution that elected the President (Jefferson Davis), and Vice President (Alexander H. Stephens), of the Confederate States for a six-year term.

The President and Vice President were not elected directly by the voters. Instead, they were elected by electors who were chosen by popular vote on a state-by-state basis. This system was established by the Confederate States Constitution, in emulation of the United States Constitution. Like the U.S. Constitution, the Confederate Constitution provided that each state would have a number of electors "equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress" (Article II, Section 1).

Only one election was ever held, in 1861. In that election, the Electoral College consisted of 109 electors. The electors (chosen in the November 6 elections) met in their respective states to cast their votes on December 4, 1861 (Confederate law mandated that electors meet on the first Wednesday in December). The Congress met in joint session on February 19, 1862 and certified the result

References

Electoral College (Confederate States) Wikipedia