The Election Data
The data is very diverse and involves all offices from the Federal to the local levels including 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 50 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.