ELECTORAL VOTES 9

2008 ELECTION Safe McCain

ABOUT
ALABAMA

Alabama joined the Union in December 1819 and participated in all elections from 1820 on, except 1864 (due to its secession). Like most southern states, Alabama was a Democratic stronghold from Reconstruction through the 1950s. Southern Democrats were always more conservative than their increasingly liberal northern brethren, which led to a period of during which southern Democrats put slates of unpledged electors on the ballot. This dissension in the party generally didn’t impact the final results, but in 1960, six of the 11 Alabama electors cast their votes for Harry F. Byrd, despite John Kennedy winning the state’s popular vote. Alabama became a GOP stronghold starting in 1964, voting for Democrats only in 1968 and 1976 (for native son George Wallace and Jimmy Carter, respectively). The initial shift was largely in response to white conservative voter uneasiness with the civil rights legislation that was passed in the mid-1960s, which was effectively exploited by the Republicans’ “southern strategy.”