Counting the Votes: South Carolina's Stolen Election of 1876

South Carolina's election of 1876 was rife with allegations of electoral intimidation and fraud.The presidential outcome and the future of Reconstruction hung in the balance.Although Democrat Wade Hampton apparently won the popular vote in the gubernatorial contest, a partisan Board of Canvassers, ultimately to no avail,declared Republican Daniel Chamberlain the victor after negating thousands of the ballots cast.Rigorous quantitative analysis suggests that the Board's adjustment of the vote was correct and that Chamberlain most probably wouldhave won had the election not been so corrupt.