| Recap of the Popular Vote
James Monroe won a nearly unanimous election victory in the popular vote of 1820, having the support of the dominant Democratic Republican Party and the disappearing Federalist Party. He won all 161 electoral votes available through the popular vote.
Legislative Selections
The vote in the nine states choosing Presidential Electors through the legislatures was identical - Monroe won all 72 Presidential Electors, four of which were Federalists. States so choosing were AL, DE, GA, IN, LA, MO, NY, SC, and VT.
Casting the Electoral Vote
The Presidential Electors assembled in their various state capitals on 12/6/1820. The first duty in each state was the selection of a chairman; former President John Adams was chosen in Massachusetts, and former Gov. William Plumer was chosen in New Hampshire. The next step was the filling of vacancies. In Massachusetts, two districts failed to make a choice (one district had a tie), and two Electors failed to appear. After filling the vacancies, the Electors cast the electoral votes. James Monroe received 231 votes to one for SOS John Quincy Adams. The vote for Adams was cast by Plumer (though whether he disapproved of Monroe or whether he believed only Washington deserved a unanimous election has since been debated). VP Tompkins was re-elected with 218 votes; Plumer voted for Richard Rush, and 13 Federalists voted for Richard Stockton, Richard G. Harper, and Daniel Rodney. The last important task for the Electors was selecting the Messenger to deliver the vote to Washington DC, which as always was a highly coveted responsibility due to the remuneration.
Preparation for the Joint Session of Congress
On the morning before the joint session of Congress for the counting of the electoral votes (2/14/1821), an important debate took place in the U.S. House chamber. Henry Clay offered a resolution on the mechanics of the joint session and a separate resolution stating that if an objection were made to the vote of Missouri, the vote would be counted with and without Missouri (as its vote was immaterial to the result). The first resolution passed nearly unanimously.
John Randolph VA objected to the second resolution. He believed that Congress did not have the authority to decide on the vote of any state. In his view, "the Electoral College was ... independent of Congress."
Rep. David Trimble KY also opposed the second resolution. He stated "It was about to declare, not what was the true vote for President of the United States, but to state it hypothetically." Trimble said he would prefer Missouri's vote not be counted than use the dual counting method.
Rep. John Floyd VA reminded the House that it had counted Indiana four years earlier in the same type of irregularity.
Clay defended his reasons for offering the second resolution. As part of his speech, Clay stated that he felt that since Missouri's admission to the Union was being held up on a technicality, it would be suitable to count its vote.
Rep. John Rhea TN agreed with Trimble that it would be preferable to exclude Missouri rather than report dual returns.
Rep. Thomas Culbreth MD agreed that Missouri's vote should be counted, as its statehood was being held up on a technicality (that it banned the settling in the state of free blacks). During his talk, Speaker of the House John W. Taylor interrupted him, as the time for the joint session had arrived. Culbreth objected to the interruption, as the time had only been suggested and was not required by the Constitution. His further comments were brief nonetheless.
Rep. Albert H. Tracy NY was opposed to the second resolution, since Missouri was not a state and could not cast an electoral vote.
Clay again took the floor. He said that the choice before the House was to either express its preference before the joint session or allow the Vice President, who would preside over the joint session, to decide on his own whether or not to count Missouri.
After brief speeches by Arthur Livermore NH and John Rhea, the House voted 90-67 for the resolution.
Thereupon, Clay moved that the House members take off their hats and stand for the entrance of the Senators. It was approved by voice vote but not unanimously.
The Joint Session of Congress
The joint session of Congress for the counting of the electoral votes took place on 2/14/1821 in the U.S. House chamber.
The Senators entered the chamber and sat on one side. VP Daniel D. Tompkins assumed the speaker's chair. The tellers were Sen. James Barbour VA and Reps. Samuel Smith MD and John Sergeant PA.
The tellers read the certificate of vote from each state. Some certificates included preambles and other statements, and it was not until 4:00 that the last certificate was reached - that of Missouri. Rep. Arthur Livermore NH objected to reading the vote of Missouri, as it was not a state. The Senate thereupon retired from the chamber.
Rep. John Floyd moved that the vote of Missouri be counted. After an hour of debate, the House voted not to change its course voted upon before the joint session. The Senate returned to the chamber, and Tompkins announced that "the total number of votes for James Monroe as President of the United States was 231, and, if the votes of Missouri were not counted, was 228; that, in either case, James Monroe had a majority of the whole number of votes given..." and made a similar statement for his own re-election.
Two U.S. Representatives asked if Missouri were being counted or not. Taylor declared them out of order. One of them, John Randolph, was still standing as the Senators departed. He offered a resolution stating that Missouri's vote be counted, but in the middle of his speech, the House voted 95-60 to adjourn. [Baltimore Patriot, 2/16/1821]
Popular vote of 1820
| 
231 (99.57%)