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Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president and one of the most revered statesmen in world history. Of course, Lincoln was elected using the Electoral College, just like every other American president. There are four ways that his election, presidency, and legacy reveal the important effects of the Constitution’s state-by-state presidential election process.

First, Lincoln won the Republican nomination in part because he had proven he could win the swing state of Illinois. Just two years earlier, Lincoln had lost the U.S. Senate election in Illinois to Stephen A. Douglas. Yet he had won the most popular votes. This was before the 17th Amendment, when state legislatures still had the power to choose U.S. Senators. While the Republican Party’s state legislative candidates had received more popular votes, it was Democrats who won control of the state legislature and thus elected Douglas.

Second, when the Democrats split into regional fragments over the issue of slavery, this severely reduced their chances to win the presidential election. It is impossible for a regional party to win enough states to win the Electoral College—one of the great benefits of the constitutional system.

Third, when Lincoln did win, the Electoral College bolstered his legitimacy. Lincoln received just shy of 40% of the vote, the least of any winning candidate for president, but he won fully half the states (16 of 32; in all but two he had clear majorities). These included the three largest states: New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. This gave Lincoln nearly 60% of the electoral votes—a clear victory.

Fourth, after Lincoln’s death and the end of the War, it remained uncertain that the nation could bind up its wounds. One thing nudging the country together was the Electoral College. The Democrats needed a national coalition to have any hope of winning the White House. They would gradually incorporate northern voters who were left out of the Republican coalition. This had three important effects: encouraging greater civic participation; nudging Democrats to moderate their positions; and eventually causing the Democrats to rebuild a diverse, national coalition. All those things were healthy for the Democrats but also for the entire nation.

Finally, I would be remiss to write about Lincoln without giving credit to the late Harry Jaffa. Conversations with him, and his lectures and books, helped me to develop my understanding of Lincoln and made me aware of the first point above. Of course, the very best resource on Lincoln is his own writings—this is my favorite single volume.

A version of this blog was originally published here on February 12, 2022.