In 1960, Alabama voters chose Democratic presidential electors individually, eleven separate choices, rather than as a single slate.1 In the state's Democratic primary for electors, a slate opposed to John F. Kennedy won six of the eleven places and electors pledged to Kennedy won five.2 In November the top vote for any Democratic elector, 324,050, went to one opposed to Kennedy; the top vote for a Kennedy elector was 318,303.3
When the Electoral College met, Alabama's five Kennedy electors voted for him, and the other six voted for Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia for president and Strom Thurmond for vice president.4 Byrd received 15 electoral votes in all, as an unpledged Democrat.5
Because one Democratic ticket produced electors for two candidates, the state's popular vote is hard to divide, and it is counted in two ways.6 The usual method credits Kennedy with the Democratic vote, as Congressional Quarterly does with 318,303; one such national tally has Kennedy ahead of Nixon by 112,827 votes.7 The other divides the Democratic vote in proportion to the electors' actual makeup, five for Kennedy and six unpledged; on that count Nixon led nationally by 58,181.8 Either way, Kennedy won the Electoral College with 303 votes to Nixon's 219.9
Byrd received electoral votes for President from Alabama (6), Mississippi (8) and Oklahoma (1).
Thurmond received electoral votes for Vice President from Alabama (6) and Mississippi (8).
Goldwater received 1 electoral vote for Vice President from Oklahoma.
John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated on November 22, 1963. He was succeeded by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who took the oath of office in Dallas, Texas that day.
National Archives, Electoral College results for 1960, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.
Sources for each sentence
Each numbered entry quotes the words that support that sentence, as they appear on the linked page.
- Back to sentence 1
Alabama Democratic voters could choose or reject individually from the list of electors, eleven separate choices.
nybooks.com/articles/1988/11/10/did-nixon-beat-kennedy - Back to sentence 2
Alabama has a primary election for presidential electors. In that primary election a slate of anti-Kennedy electors won six of the eleven positions and five were won by the pro-Kennedy electors.
nybooks.com/articles/1988/11/10/did-nixon-beat-kennedy - Back to sentence 3
for an anti-Kennedy elector topped the list with 324,050 votes, trailed by a pro-Kennedy with 318,303 votes.
nybooks.com/articles/1988/11/10/did-nixon-beat-kennedy - Back to sentence 4
Byrd received electoral votes for President from Alabama (6), Mississippi (8) and Oklahoma (1). Thurmond received electoral votes for Vice President from Alabama (6) and Mississippi (8).
archives.gov/electoral-college/1960 Harry F. Byrd of Virginia Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts Strom Thurmond of South Carolina Barry Goldwater of Arizona Alabama 11 5 - 6
archives.gov/electoral-college/1960 - Back to sentence 5
1960-15 electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd ("unpledged" Democrat)
everycrsreport.com/reports/RL30804.html - Back to sentence 6
The popular vote is very difficult to disentangle.
nybooks.com/articles/1988/11/10/did-nixon-beat-kennedy First Method: involves counting the split Alabama elector slate for both Kennedy and unpledged electors as Kennedy votes; this was, in fact, what happened.
spot.colorado.edu/~mcguire/1960.html - Back to sentence 7
This latter figure the Congressional Quarterly gives as the total Alabama Kennedy vote.
nybooks.com/articles/1988/11/10/did-nixon-beat-kennedy Kennedy is a Plurality more votes winner; 112,827 than Nixon
spot.colorado.edu/~mcguire/1960.html - Back to sentence 8
Second Method : involves dividing the vote for the Alabama Democratic elector slate proportionately according to its actual composition.
spot.colorado.edu/~mcguire/1960.html Nixon is a Plurality more votes winner; 58,181 than Kennedy
spot.colorado.edu/~mcguire/1960.html - Back to sentence 9
Electoral Vote Winner: 303 Main Opponent: 219 Total/Majority: 537/269
archives.gov/electoral-college/1960
Sources checked on October 3, 2026
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