Compare the election of 1796 to the election of 1800.

It was the first contested American presidential election, the first presidential election in which political parties played a dominant role, and the only presidential election in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets. "Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams by a margin of seventy-three to sixty-five electoral votes in the presidential election of 1800. ... With the votes tied, the election was thrown to the House of Representatives as required by Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.

Explanation: Candidates didn't go state to state to campaign. They had major citizens do it for them, along with articles in the newspaper.