Interesting quote from the source: "Ferry, Donahue, and their fellow conspirators found humor in their work. One accomplice mocked the outcry he expected from abolitionist newspapers following the corruption of the election. The men bragged about their past successes in fixing local elections back home."
They were tried once before -- election of 1864...and there was rampant cheating that took place.
https://www.americanpartisan.org/2020/09/mail-in-ballots-were-part-of-a-plot-to-deny-lincoln-reelection-in-1864-dustin-waters/
Interesting quote from the source: "Ferry, Donahue, and their fellow conspirators found humor in their work. One accomplice mocked the outcry he expected from abolitionist newspapers following the corruption of the election. The men bragged about their past successes in fixing local elections back home."