The Election Data
When this project is complete it will include all 25 states and terrirtories that existed at the time. Please keep in mind that this project is a work in progress. The elections for the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Missouri contain all of the data that Philip Lampi has collected and are now available in Version 1.0. All other states are still being worked on and elections will be made available as data entry is completed. Some of the states with incomplete election data will be made available in a beta version. States will not be available while entry is ongoing. For a complete list of availability please see the progress bar on the home page.

The data is very diverse and involves all offices from the Federal to the local levels: this includes Presidential elections, Town clerk elections and everything in between!

The Sources
The bulk of the election data came from contemporary sources such as newspapers and original election ballots. Other sources include County histories that were published in the 19th century.

The Collector
Philip J. Lampi has been collecting election returns for the past 40 years. His dedication and expertise in the area of Early American Politics has aided many contemporary scholars in their research at the Society. In the past, this body of election data was thought to be impossible to collect because of the vast and unwieldy nature of the unindexed newspapers and poor record keeping in this early period. He has received several grants over the years to assist him in his collecting.

Using the data
This is your history. The data is free and accesible to all. This body of electoral returns holds great promise for reconsidering the history of political life in the United States in the first few decades under the Constitution. For information about searching the data please see the Help Page.

Our Goal
Under the current NEH grant, project staff and consultants at AAS, Tufts, and elsewhere are working to digitize a good portion of the tens of thousands of typed and handwritten tabulations and raw source materials that Lampi accumulated as part of his life's work. This project website will be updated frequently to monitor progress. The available election returns are fully searchable by such key index points as year, geographical constituency, office, names of candidates, and party labels. Please keep in mind that this is a work in progress and if you have any suggestions or additions please contact AAS or Tufts DCA.