1960 United States presidential election in Alabama

1960 United States presidential election in Alabama

← 1956 November 8, 1960 1964 →
All 11 Alabama votes to the Electoral College
Nominee Harry F. Byrd (by unpledged electors) John F. Kennedy Richard Nixon Party Southern Democrat Democratic Republican Home state Virginia Massachusetts California Running mate Strom Thurmond Lyndon B. Johnson Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Electoral vote 6 5 0 Popular vote 324,050 318,303 237,981 Percentage 56.83% 55.82% 41.73%
County Results Unpledged   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Kennedy   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90-100% Nixon   50–60%   60–70%

Elections in Alabama
Federal government Presidential elections 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Presidential primaries and caucuses Democratic 2004 2008 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 U.S. Senate elections 1819 1822 1822 (sp) 1826 (sp) 1828 1831 1834 1837 1837 (sp) 1840 1841 (sp) 1842 1847 1848 (sp) 1849 (sp) 1853 1855 1858 1868 1870 1872 1872 (sp) 1876 1878 1878 (sp) 1880 (sp) 1882 1884 1888 1890 1894 1896 1897 1900 1903 1907 1907 (sp) 1908 1911 1914 1914 (sp) 1918 1920 1920 (sp) 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1938 1938 (sp) 1942 1944 1946 (sp) 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1978 (sp) 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2017 (sp) 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1819 1821 1823 1825 1827 1829 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1869 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1883 sp. 8th 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1894 sp. 3rd 1896 1898 1900 1900 sp. 8th 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1914 sp. 8th 1916 1918 1920 1920 sp. 5th 1921 sp. 4th 1922 1923 sp. 2nd 1924 1926 1928 1928 sp. 3rd 1928 sp. 5th 1930 1932 1933 sp. 8th 1934 1935 sp. 1st 1936 1938 1938 sp. 2nd 1940 1940 sp. 7th 1941 sp. 7th 1942 1943 sp. 3rd 1944 1944 sp. 3rd 1946 1947 sp. 8th 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1972 sp. 3rd 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1989 sp. 3rd 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2013 sp. 1st 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government State-wide elections 2004 2010 2014 2018 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1819 1821 1823 1825 1827 1829 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1861 1865 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1906 1910 1914 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 State Senate elections 2010 2014 2018 State House elections 2010 2018 Ballot measures 2000: Amendment 2 2006: Amendment 774 2020: Amendment 1
Birmingham Mayoral elections 2017 2021
Mobile Mayoral elections 2021
Montgomery Mayoral elections 2007 2009 (special) 2011 2015 2019
Government
v t

The 1960 United States presidential election in Alabama was held on November 8, 1960 as part of that year's national presidential election. Eleven Democratic electors were elected, of whom six voted for Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia and five for Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.^[1]

In Alabama, voters voted for electors individually instead of as a slate, as in the other 49 states. Twenty-two electors were on the ballot, 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Voters could vote for up to eleven candidates. As a result of a state primary, the Democratic Party had a mixed slate of electors, five being pledged to Kennedy and the remaining six being unpledged.^[2][3] The highest vote for a presidential elector was 324,050 votes for Frank M. Dixon, who was unpledged; the highest vote for an elector pledged to Kennedy was 318,303 for C. G. Allen, and the highest vote for a Republican elector was 237,981 for Cecil Durham, which was fewer than the vote for any Democratic elector.^[2] As a result, six unpledged electors and five electors pledged to Kennedy were elected. All six elected unpledged electors cast their vote for Byrd.^[4]

Varying methods have been used to break down the vote into Kennedy and unpledged votes. One method is to take the 318,303 votes as Kennedy votes and the 324,050 votes as unpledged votes, giving a total much higher than the actual votes cast.^[5] Another is to take the 318,303 votes as Kennedy votes and the remainder (5,747 votes) as unpledged votes.^[6] A third is to split the 324,050 in the proportion of 5⁄11 to 6⁄11, following the proportion of electors, giving 147,295 votes for Kennedy and 176,755 for unpledged electors.^[7] In all cases, Republican candidate Richard Nixon of California, then Vice President of the United States, has 237,981 votes. If the last method is used, it means that Nixon won the popular vote in Alabama; it also means that he won the popular vote nationally.^[3][7] Congressional Quarterly calculated the popular vote in this manner at the time of the 1960 election.^[3]

Results[]

*All 6 unpledged electors voted for Harry F. Byrd

See also[]

• United States presidential elections in which the winner lost the popular vote

References[]