Election of 1860 - N.J. split electoral vote and fusion tickets

[Michael19103]

Hi - something I've never seen an explanation of: New Jersey splitting its electoral vote 4 to 3 (Lincoln/Douglas). I know there are a couple of states today (Maine and Nebraska) that award electoral votes by Congressional district, with the two "spares" going to the statewide winner (not that it's made a difference recently), but I've never seen that or any other explanation for New Jersey doing it that way then. And at some point, someone needs to explain how fusion tickets worked: were they initiated BY the candidates, who presumably would have withdrawn their separate tickets, so that you would have seen on the ballot in those states just Lincoln and fusion?
And to what extent, fusion aside, were Douglas and Breckenridge on the ballot in "each other's" regions - were there two rival Democratic tickets (& if so two sets of House candidates) in every state before the fusion movement kicked in?
I've read a bit about that election, and recently so, but I've never seen all of this spelled out.

[ole]

Excellent question, Michael. Perhaps one or two of our New Jersey members will weigh in and answer it.

ole

[5fish]

Here's another forum where it was discussed. Check it out!! It sounds like party politics for the reason behind the split..


New Jersey Split Electoral Vote 1860Author, Topic New Jersey Split Electoral Vote 1860Read 821 times ... New Jersey Split Electoral Vote 1860. « on July 27 2008 020335 am » ...
uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=79817.0 - 73k - Cached - Similar pages

[Michael19103]

Thanks, 5fish! Even the "New Jersey Politics During the Civil War" book (not the exact title) I was browsing in at the new Gettysburg visitor center last weekend didn't deal with it clearly.

[Michael19103]

Oy!
Now that I've read all that, I have to say: I'm sometimes guilty of getting obsessed with minutiae (as may quickly be becoming apparent in my first posts...) but that's a doozy (the Pennsylvania stuff too in that thread....) Note to self: Must resist temptation to join that election forum.

[ole]

Many of us are similarly obsessed with minutiae, Michael. Don't ever stop.

ole

[whitworth]

New Jersey was always smart enough, not to secede.