Van Buren 's supporters arrived at the convention with a majority of the delegates pledged to support him on the first ballot . Cass , meanwhile , had support from a handful of Southern states , but far fewer delegates pledged to him . At the previous convention , in 1840 , a majority of votes had been sufficient to secure the nomination , but this had been a departure from the traditional practice of requiring a two-thirds vote to win the nomination
the previous convention , in 1840
1840 Democratic National Convention
1844 Democratic National Convention