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Why were Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina electoral votes disputed in the 1876 election?

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Alabama certificate showing the state's electors' votes — Electoral College A certificate from Alabama showing the signatures of the state's electors in 2000. The nine electors voted for George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney.

In the United States presidential election of 1876, the electoral votes of Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina were disputed primarily due to widespread vote fraud and intimidation committed by both the Republican and Democratic parties.12

Following the election, both parties claimed victory in these three Southern states and dispatched teams of observers and lawyers to influence the official canvass. Because the results in these states were contested, rival electoral reports were submitted to Congress, creating a constitutional impasse. To resolve the deadlock, Congress created an Electoral Commission in 1877. The commission ultimately awarded all the disputed votes to the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, allowing him to defeat the Democrat Samuel J. Tilden by a single electoral vote.13