The 1876 presidential election is not a good comparison to this one..Here's why..

Yes, there were contested states, but it was settled in an unwritten agreement handing the presidency to Grant by removing Federal troops in the South, ending the Reconstruction Period.

[link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]

"An informal deal was struck to resolve the dispute: the Compromise of 1877, which awarded all 20 electoral votes to Hayes; in return for the Democrats' acquiescence to Hayes' election, the Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction."