Saints, Sheriffs and Paranoid Politicians: Early Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Election Fraud in Iowa in the 1848 US Presidential Election

Abstract

In this thesis I argue paranoid politics existed and was used against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in nineteenth-century America, despite this otherization, a group of them voted as they desired, demanded their rights and challenged the definition of American citizenship. These voters in Pottawattamie County, Iowa pushed against being manipulated as they voted for the Whig Party despite the expectations of Democratic politicians, two bribery scandals and election-day threats. Following the election, the Iowa State Legislature nearly dissolved Pottawattamie County because of this bloc of Whig votes. A handful of state senators advocated for inclusion and upheld the county establishment by a slim margin. In doing so these state senators and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pressed the boundaries of freedom in the US to include more people, regardless of their demographic, race or religion.