Not only did the Union Reform party have a difficult task at attracting African-American voters, it also faced a disillusioned white electorate. The more extreme base of white voters simply were not willing to vote for any political party that allowed for African-Americans to participate as equals to the whites. Wade Hampton returned from his affairs in Mississippi to rally support for the Union Reform cause, but he encountered lukewarm support at best. It was estimated that less than half of the white voters in the state bothered to cast a ballot in the election.