One of the Dixiecrats' goals was to deny both major parties a majority in the Electoral College and push the election to the House.

• A. To form a new third-party ticket to win the presidency
• B. To split the vote to force the election into the House
• C. To deny both major parties a majority in the Electoral College and push the election to the House
• D. To support Truman's civil rights program

Answer: (C)

Understanding how the Electoral College and contingent elections work is essential. The Dixiecrats tried to prevent either major party from winning a majority of electoral votes, so no candidate would have a clear winner. Under the constitutional process, if no one gets a majority, the election goes to the House, where each state delegation casts one vote. By denying majorities, they aimed to push the decision into the House, where Southern states hoped to influence the outcome in favor of their ticket. They did form a third-party ticket to compete, but the core aim described here—blocking a majority and forcing a House decision—best captures their objective. Supporting Truman’s civil rights program would have aligned with the main Democratic party, not the Dixiecrats.