After he is elected by a plurality (that is, he received more votes than other candidates, but less than a majority) in a joint session of New Jersey’s legislature, John Stockton takes his seat in the Senate under a cloud of controversy. Although Stockton will serve from March 15, 1865, to March 27, 1866, the Senate eventually will declare the seat vacant. To support his cause during debate, Stockton will produce a “state-by-state analysis of senatorial election processes” that shows Senate election procedures in the United States vary considerably from state to state.