JOHN KENNEDY, RICHARD NIXON, AND THE PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION OF 1960

AN OVERVIEW OF THE 1960 ELECTION

Total Vote—68.8 millionJFK—34. 2 million (49.7%) 303 EV

RMN—34.1 million (49.5%)—219 EV

MAJOR FEATURES OF THE ELECTION

1. Very high voter turnout—61.6%2. First TV presidential debates

3. Religious issue—JFK first Catholic President

4. New kind of campaign—JFK5. New political journalism—Theodore White, The Making of

the President 1960

KEY ISSUE—WHY DOES NIXON AGREE TO DEBATE KENNEDY?

KEY ISSUE—WHAT WAS THE EFFECT OF RELIGION ON THE

ELECTION?

University of Michigan study published in American Political

Science Review (June 1961)JFK lost 3.0 million votes because of

religion

KEY ISSUE—DID VOTE FRAUD AFFECT THE ELECTION

OUTCOME?

The Case of Illinois (27 EV)Total vote—4,757,409

JFK margin--8858JFK margin in Cook County—319,000

JFK margin in Chicago—456,000

Election Machinery in Cook County and Chicago

1.5000 voting precincts in county2.3771 precincts in Chicago

3.3137 voting machine precincts4.634 paper ballot precincts