View source for 1796 United States presidential election

{{Short description|none}}
{{for|related races|1796 United States elections}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1796 United States presidential election
| country = United States
| flag_year = 1795
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1792 United States presidential election
| previous_year = 1792
| next_election = 1800 United States presidential election
| next_year = 1800
| votes_for_election = 138 members of the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]]{{efn|One Maryland elector pledged to Adams cast his two votes for Adams and Jefferson, bringing the total between them to 139 votes.}}
| needed_votes = 70 electoral
| election_date = November 4 – December 7, 1796
| turnout = 20.1%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electproject.org/national-1789-present|title=National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present|work=United States Election Project|publisher=[[CQ Press]]}}</ref> {{increase}} 13.8 [[percentage point|pp]]
| image1 = File:Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792) (farther 3x4 cropped) (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 200x200px
| nominee1 = '''[[John Adams]]'''
| party1 = [[Federalist Party|Federalist]]
| running_mate1 = [[Thomas Pinckney]]
| home_state1 = [[Massachusetts]]
| electoral_vote1 = '''71'''
| states_carried1 = '''9'''
| popular_vote1 = '''35,174'''
| percentage1 = '''53.3%'''
| image2 = File:Official Presidential portrait of Thomas Jefferson (by Rembrandt Peale, 1800) (3x4 cropped).jpg
| nominee2 = '''[[Thomas Jefferson]]'''<br />(elected Vice President)
| party2 = Democratic-Republican Party
| running_mate2 = [[Aaron Burr]]
| home_state2 = [[Virginia]]
| electoral_vote2 = 68
| states_carried2 = 7
| popular_vote2 = 30,860
| percentage2 = 46.7%
| map = {{1796 United States presidential election imagemap}}
| map_size = 350px
| map_caption = Presidential election results map. <span style="color:#5fd35f;">Green</span> denotes states won by Jefferson/Burr and <span style="color:#f08a62;">Salmon</span> denotes states won by Adams/Pinckney. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state.
| title = President
| before_election = [[George Washington]]
| before_party = Independent (United States)
| after_election = [[John Adams]]
| after_party = Federalist Party (United States)
}}
[[United States presidential election|Presidential elections]] were held in the [[United States]] from November 4 to December 7, 1796, when electors throughout the United States cast their ballots. It was the first contested American presidential election, the first presidential election in which political parties played a dominant role, and the only presidential election in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets. Incumbent vice president [[John Adams]] of the [[Federalist Party]] defeated former secretary of state [[Thomas Jefferson]] of the [[Democratic-Republican Party]].

With incumbent president [[George Washington]] having refused a third term in office, the 1796 election became the first U.S. presidential election in which political parties competed for the presidency. The Federalists coalesced behind Adams and the Democratic-Republicans supported Jefferson, but each party ran multiple candidates. Under the electoral rules in place prior to the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]], the members of the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]] each cast two votes, with no distinction made between electoral votes for president and electoral votes for vice president. The individual with the votes of a majority of electors became president, and the runner-up became vice president. If there was a tie for first place or no person won a majority, the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] would hold a [[contingent election]]. Also, if there were a tie for second place, the vice presidency, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] would hold a contingent election to break the tie.

The campaign was a bitter one, with Federalists attempting to identify the Democratic-Republicans with the violence of the [[French Revolution]]<ref>[https://www.historycentral.com/elections/1796.html Presidential Election of 1796], retrieved on November 5, 2009.</ref> and the Democratic-Republicans accusing the Federalists of favoring monarchism and aristocracy. Republicans sought to associate Adams with the policies developed by fellow Federalist [[Alexander Hamilton]] during the [[presidency of George Washington|Washington administration]], which they declaimed were too much in favor of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and a centralized national government. In foreign policy, Republicans denounced the Federalists over the [[Jay Treaty]], which had established a temporary peace with Great Britain. Federalists attacked Jefferson's moral character, alleging he was an atheist and that he had been a coward during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Adams's supporters also accused Jefferson of being too pro-[[French First Republic|France]]; the accusation was underscored when the French ambassador embarrassed the Republicans by publicly backing Jefferson and attacking the Federalists right before the election.<ref name="millercenter.org">{{Cite web | url=https://millercenter.org/president/biography/adams-campaigns-and-elections | title=John Adams: Campaigns and Elections—Miller Center | website=millercenter.org|access-date=April 15, 2016}}</ref> Despite the hostility between their respective camps, neither Adams nor Jefferson actively campaigned for the presidency.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/10/inside-americas-first-dirty-presidential-campaign-1796-style/ | title=Inside America's first dirty presidential campaign, 1796 style | website=Constitution Daily | language=en-US | access-date=April 15, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214075236/http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/10/inside-americas-first-dirty-presidential-campaign-1796-style/ | archive-date=February 14, 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="millercenter.org"/>

Adams was elected president with 71 electoral votes, one more than was needed for a majority. He won by sweeping the electoral votes of [[New England]] and winning votes from several other swing states, especially the states of the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic]] region. Jefferson received 68 electoral votes and was elected vice president. Former governor [[Thomas Pinckney]] of South Carolina, a Federalist, finished with 59 electoral votes, while Senator [[Aaron Burr]], a Democratic-Republican from New York, won 30 electoral votes. The remaining 48 electoral votes were dispersed among nine other candidates. Several electors cast one vote for a Federalist candidate and one for a Democratic-Republican. The election marked the formation of the [[First Party System]], and established a rivalry between Federalist New England and the Democratic-Republican South, with the middle states holding the balance of power (New York and Maryland were the crucial swing states, and between them only voted for a loser once between 1789 and 1820).<ref>Jeffrey L. Pasley, ''The First Presidential Contest: 1796 and the Founding of American Democracy'' (2013)</ref>

==Candidates==
[[File:Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.jpg|thumb|207x207px|[[George Washington]], the incumbent president in 1796, whose second term expired on March 4, 1797]]
With Washington retiring after two terms, both parties sought the presidency for the first time. Before the ratification of the [[12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution|12th Amendment]] in 1804, each elector was to vote for two persons but was not able to indicate which vote was for president and which for vice president. Instead, the recipient of the most electoral votes would become president and the runner-up vice president. As a result, both parties ran multiple candidates for president, in hopes of keeping one of their opponents from being the runner-up. These candidates were the equivalent of modern-day running mates, but under the law, they were all candidates for president. Thus, both Adams and Jefferson were technically opposed by several members of their own parties. The plan was for one of the electors to cast a vote for the main party nominee (Adams or Jefferson) and a candidate besides the primary running mate, thus ensuring that the main nominee would have one more vote than his running mate.

===Federalist candidates===
The Federalists' nominee was John Adams of Massachusetts, the incumbent vice president and a leading voice during the Revolutionary period. Most Federalist leaders viewed Adams, who had twice been elected vice president, as Washington's natural heir. Adams's main running mate was [[Thomas Pinckney]], a former governor of South Carolina who had negotiated the [[Pinckney's Treaty|Treaty of San Lorenzo]] with [[Spain]]. Pinckney agreed to run after the first choice of many party leaders, former governor [[Patrick Henry]] of Virginia, declined. [[Alexander Hamilton]], who competed with Adams for leadership of the party, worked behind the scenes to elect Pinckney over Adams by convincing Jefferson electors from South Carolina to cast their second votes for Pinckney. Hamilton did prefer Adams to Jefferson, and urged Federalist electors to cast their votes for Adams and Pinckney.<ref name="sharp1"/>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792).jpg|'''[[John Adams]]''', <br /> [[Vice President of the United States]] from [[Massachusetts]]
File:Thomas Pinckney.jpg|'''[[Thomas Pinckney]]''', [[List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom|U.S. Minister to Great Britain]]<br />from South Carolina 
File:OliverEllsworth.jpg|'''[[Oliver Ellsworth]]''',<br />[[U.S. Chief Justice]],<br />from [[Connecticut]]
File:John Jay (Gilbert Stuart portrait).jpg|'''[[John Jay]]''',<br />[[Governor of New York]]
File:James Iredell, 1790-1799.jpg|'''[[James Iredell]]''',<br />Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]],<br />from [[North Carolina]]
File:NC-Congress-SamuelJohnston.JPG|'''[[Samuel Johnston]]''',<br />former [[List of United States senators from North Carolina|U.S. senator from North Carolina]]
File:James Earl - General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - Google Art Project.jpg|'''[[Charles Cotesworth Pinckney]]''',<br />[[List of ambassadors of the United States to France|U.S. Minister to France]]<br />from South Carolina
</gallery>

===Democratic-Republican candidates===
The Democratic-Republicans united behind former secretary of state [[Thomas Jefferson]], who had co-founded the party with [[James Madison]] and others in opposition to Hamilton's policies. Congressional Democratic-Republicans sought to also unite behind one vice-presidential nominee. With Jefferson's popularity strongest in the South, many party leaders wanted a Northern candidate as Jefferson's running mate. Popular choices included Senator [[Pierce Butler (American politician)|Pierce Butler]] of South Carolina and three New Yorkers: Senator [[Aaron Burr]], Chancellor [[Robert R. Livingston (chancellor)|Robert R. Livingston]], and former governor [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]]. A group of Democratic-Republican leaders met in June 1796 and agreed to support Jefferson for president and Burr for vice president.<ref name="sharp1">{{cite book|last1=Sharp|first1=James Roger|title=American Politics in the Early Republic: The New Nation in Crisis|url=https://archive.org/details/americanpolitics0000shar|url-access=registration|date=1993|publisher=Yale University Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanpolitics0000shar/page/146 146–148]|isbn=9780300055306 }}</ref><ref name="patrick1">{{cite book|last1=Patrick|first1=John J.|last2=Pious|first2=Richard M.|last3=Ritchie|first3=Donald A.|title=The Oxford Guide to the United States Government|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordguidetouni00john|url-access=registration|date=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordguidetouni00john/page/93 93]|isbn=978-0-19-514273-0 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:ThomasJeffersonStateRoomPortrait.jpg|'''[[Thomas Jefferson]]''',<br />former [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]]
File:Burr (cropped 3x4).jpg|'''[[Aaron Burr]]''',<br />[[List of United States senators from New York|U.S. senator from New York]]
File:Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley.jpg|'''[[Samuel Adams]]''',<br />[[Governor of Massachusetts]]
File:George Clinton by Ezra Ames (full portrait).jpg|'''[[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]]''',<br />former [[governor of New York]]
</gallery>

==Results==
[[File:ElectoralCollegeCount1797.svg|thumb|Objections made to the electoral college votes of the 1796 U.S. presidential election.{{legend|#A9FAAD|No objections}}]]
[[Tennessee]] was admitted into the United States after the 1792 election, increasing the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] to 138 electors.

Under the system in place before the 1804 ratification of the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]], electors were to cast votes for two persons for president; the runner-up in the presidential race was elected vice president. If no candidate won votes from a majority of the Electoral College, the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] would hold a [[contingent election]] to select the winner. Each party intended to manipulate the results by having some of their electors cast one vote for the intended presidential candidate and one vote for someone besides the intended vice-presidential candidate, leaving their vice-presidential candidate a few votes shy of their presidential candidate. But all electoral votes were cast on the same day, and communications between states were extremely slow at that time, making it very difficult to coordinate which electors were to manipulate their vote for vice president. Additionally, there were rumors that Hamilton had coerced southern electors pledged to Jefferson to give their second vote to Pinckney in hope of electing him president instead of Adams.

Campaigning centered in the [[swing state]]s of New York and [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="wald1">{{cite book|last1=Waldstreicher|first1=David|title=A Companion to John Adams and John Quincy Adams|date=2013|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|pages=150–151}}</ref> Adams and Jefferson won a combined 139 electoral votes from the 138 members of the Electoral College. The Federalists swept every state north of the [[Mason–Dixon line]] except Pennsylvania, though one Pennsylvania elector voted for Adams. The Democratic-Republicans won the votes of most [[Southern United States|Southern]] electors, but the electors of [[Maryland]] and [[Delaware]] gave a majority of their votes to Federalist candidates, while North Carolina and Virginia each gave Adams one electoral vote.

Nationwide, most electors voted for Adams and a second Federalist or for Jefferson and a second Democratic-Republican, but there were several exceptions to this. One elector in Maryland voted for both Adams and Jefferson, and two electors cast votes for Washington, who had not campaigned and was not formally affiliated with either party. Pinckney won the second votes from most of the electors who voted for Adams, but 21 electors from [[New England]] and Maryland cast their second votes for other candidates, including Chief Justice [[Oliver Ellsworth]]. Those who voted for Jefferson were significantly less united in their second choice, though Burr won a plurality of the Jefferson electors. All eight electors in Pinckney's home state of South Carolina, as well as at least one Pennsylvania elector, cast their ballots for Jefferson and Pinckney. In North Carolina, Jefferson won 11 votes, but the remaining 13 were spread among six different candidates from both parties. In Virginia, most electors voted for Jefferson and Governor [[Samuel Adams]] of Massachusetts.<ref name="annv">{{cite web|title=1796 President of the United States, Electoral College|url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:us.potus.1796|website=A New Nation Votes|publisher=American Antiquarian Society|access-date=14 January 2018|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128161923/https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:us.potus.1796|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Congress counted the electoral results on February 8, 1797, with John Adams opening and reading the votes in his role as [[President of the United States Senate|President of the Senate]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Seligman |first=Matthew |date=October 11, 2021 |title=The Vice President's Non-Existent Unilateral Power to Reject Electoral Votes |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3939020 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |pages=19-20 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.3939020 |issn=1556-5068 |ssrn=3939020 |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 24, 2026}}</ref> Although some contemporary newspapers contested the legal validity of Vermont's electoral votes,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ackerman |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Ackerman |last2=Fontana |first2=David |date=March 18, 2004 |title=Thomas Jefferson Counts Himself into the Presidency |url=https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1627&context=faculty_publications |url-status=live |journal=[[Virginia Law Review]] |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=571-573 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517033223/http://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1627&context=faculty_publications |archive-date=May 17, 2016|access-date=March 24, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ackerman |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Ackerman |last2=Fontana |first2=David |date=2004-03-01 |title=How Jefferson Counted Himself In |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/03/how-jefferson-counted-himself-in/302888/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028164230/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/03/how-jefferson-counted-himself-in/302888/ |archive-date=October 28, 2013 |access-date=2026-03-24 |work=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |issn=2151-9463 |quote=In 1796, for instance, important newspapers reported that the four electoral votes from Vermont—for Adams and Thomas Pinckney, of South Carolina—were invalid, for a variety of technical reasons.}}</ref> no objections against them were raised in congress.<ref name=":0" /> The result was that Adams received 71 electoral votes, one more than required to be elected president. If any two of the three Adams electors in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina had voted with the rest of their states, it would have flipped the election. Jefferson received 68 votes, nine more than Pinckney, and was elected vice president. Burr finished in a distant fourth place with 30 votes. Nine other candidates received the remaining 48 electoral votes. If Pinckney had won the second votes of all of the New England electors who voted for Adams, he would have been elected president over Adams and Jefferson.

{{start U.S. presidential election box|pv_footnote=<sup>(a), (b), (c)</sup>|ev_footnote=}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[John Adams]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[Massachusetts]] | pv=35,174|pv_pct=53.3% | ev=71}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Thomas Jefferson]] | party=[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican]] | state=[[Virginia]] | pv=30,860|pv_pct=46.7% | ev=68}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Thomas Pinckney]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[South Carolina]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=59}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Aaron Burr]] | party=[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican]] | state=[[New York (state)|New York]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=30}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Samuel Adams]] | party=[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican]] | state=[[Massachusetts]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=15}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Oliver Ellsworth]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[Connecticut]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=11}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] | party=[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican]] | state=[[New York (state)|New York]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=7}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[John Jay]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[New York (state)|New York]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=5}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[James Iredell]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[North Carolina]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=3}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[George Washington]] | party=[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] | state=[[Virginia]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=2}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[John Henry (senator)|John Henry]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]]<ref name="mdarchives1">{{cite web|title=MARYLAND'S ELECTORAL VOTE FOR U.S. PRESIDENT, 1789-2016|url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/41electp/html/elecpres.html|website=Maryland Manual On-line|publisher=Maryland State Archives|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> | state=[[Maryland]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=2}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Samuel Johnston]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[North Carolina]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=2}}
{{U.S. presidential election box row | name=[[Charles Cotesworth Pinckney]] | party=[[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] | state=[[South Carolina]] | pv=—|pv_pct=— | ev=1}}
{{end U.S. presidential election box | pv=66,034 | ev=138|to_win=70}}

'''Source (Popular Vote):''' {{Cite book |last=Dubin |first=Michael J. |title=United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: The Official Results by County and State |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2002 |isbn=9780786410170 |location=Jefferson |pages=6–8}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dubin |first=Michael J. |title=United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: The Official Results by County and State |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2002 |isbn=9780786410170 |location=Jefferson |pages=6–8}}</ref><br />'''Source (Popular Vote):''' A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog?commit=Limit&f%5Belection_type_sim%5D%5B%5D=General&f%5Boffice_id_ssim%5D%5B%5D=ON056&page=2&q=1820&range%5Bdate_sim%5D%5Bbegin%5D=1820&range%5Bdate_sim%5D%5Bend%5D=1820&search_field=all_fields&utf8=%E2%9C%93|title=A New Nation Votes|website=elections.lib.tufts.edu}}</ref><br />'''Source (Electoral Vote):''' {{National Archives EV source| year=1796| as of=July 30, 2005}}

<sup>(a)</sup> ''Votes for Federalist electors have been assigned to John Adams and votes for Democratic-Republican electors have been assigned to Thomas Jefferson.''<br /><sup>(b)</sup> ''Only 9 of the 16 states used any form of popular vote.''<br /><sup>(c)</sup> ''Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements.''

{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''J. Adams'''|{{party color|Federalist Party}}|53.4}}
{{bar percent|Jefferson|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party}}|46.6}}
}}
{{bar box
|title=Electoral vote{{efn|Electors voted for two candidates; percentages are calculated as a share of the total number of electors.}}
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''J. Adams'''|{{party color|Federalist Party}}|51.4}}
{{bar percent|Jefferson|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party}}|49.3}}
{{bar percent|T. Pinckney|{{party color|Federalist Party}}|42.8}}
{{bar percent|Burr|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party}}|21.7}}
{{bar percent|S. Adams|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party}}|11.0}}
{{bar percent|Ellsworth|{{party color|Federalist Party}}|8.0}}
{{bar percent|Clinton|{{party color|Democratic-Republican Party}}|5.1}}
{{bar percent|Jay|{{party color|Federalist}}|3.6}}
{{bar percent|Iredell|{{party color|Federalist}}|2.2}}
{{bar percent|Washington|{{party color|Other}}|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Henry|{{party color|Federalist}}|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Johnston|{{party color|Federalist}}|1.4}}
{{bar percent|C. Pinckney|{{party color|Federalist}}|0.7}}
}}

===Electoral votes by state===
As per the terms of the unamended constitution, each elector was permitted two votes for president, with a majority of "the whole number of electors appointed" necessary to elect a president. Of the 138 participating electors, 70 voted for Adams and some other candidate and 67 voted for Jefferson and some other candidate; one elector from Maryland voted for both Adams and Jefferson, bringing their respective totals to 71 and 68. With both parties' electors divided on their choice of a vice president, Jefferson finished second in the electoral vote ahead of Adams' intended running mate, Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina, making him vice president-elect.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! State
!style="font-size: 60%"| Electors
!style="font-size: 60%"| Electoral<br />votes
! {{abbrlink|JA|John Adams}}
! {{abbrlink|TJ|Thomas Jefferson}}
! {{abbrlink|TP|Thomas Pinckney}}
! {{abbrlink|AB|Aaron Burr}}
! {{abbrlink|SA|Samuel Adams}}
! {{abbrlink|OE|Oliver Ellsworth}}
! {{abbrlink|GC|George Clinton (vice president)}}
! {{abbrlink|JJ|John Jay}}
! {{abbrlink|JI|James Iredell}}
! {{abbrlink|JH|John Henry (senator)}}
! {{abbrlink|SJ|Samuel Johnston}}
! {{abbrlink|GW|George Washington}}
! {{abbrlink|CP|Charles Cotesworth Pinckney}}
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Connecticut|Connecticut]]{{efn|name=legislature|Electors chosen by the state legislature}}
! 9
! 18
| 9
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 5
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Delaware|Delaware]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 3
! 6
| 3
| —
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Georgia|Georgia]]
! 4
! 8
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Kentucky|Kentucky]]
! 4
! 8
| —
| 4
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Maryland|Maryland]]
! 10
! 20
| 7
| 4
| 4
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 2
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]
! 16
! 32
| 16
| —
| 13
| —
| —
| 1
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 2
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]
! 6
! 12
| 6
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 6
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New Jersey|New Jersey]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 7
! 14
| 7
| —
| 7
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New York|New York]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 12
! 24
| 12
| —
| 12
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in North Carolina|North Carolina]]
! 12
! 24
| 1
| 11
| 1
| 6
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 3
| —
| —
| 1
| 1
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]
! 15
! 30
| 1
| 14
| 2
| 13
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 4
! 8
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Independent (US)}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in South Carolina|South Carolina]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 8
! 16
| —
| 8
| 8
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Tennessee|Tennessee]]
! 3
! 6
| —
| 3
| —
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Vermont|Vermont]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 4
! 8
| 4
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Virginia|Virginia]]
! 21
! 42
| 1
| 20
| 1
| 1
| 15
| —
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 1
| —
|-
! TOTAL
! 138
! 276
! 71
! 68
! 59
! 30
! 15
! 11
! 7
! 5
! 3
! 2
! 2
! 2
! 1
|-
! TO WIN
! 70
! 70
! colspan=14 |
|}
'''Source:''' ''A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lampi |first1=Phil |title=1796 President of the United States, Electoral College |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/1j92g900m |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251118052726/https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/1j92g900m|archive-date=2025-11-18|website=A New Nation Votes |publisher=Tufts University |access-date=July 21, 2022}}</ref>

===Popular vote by state===
Compiling reliable popular vote statistics for elections of the [[First Party System]] poses a challenge to historians. Election procedures of the late 18th century differed greatly from those of later campaigns: rather than vote for a presidential candidate, voters chose from candidates running to represent their state in the [[United States Electoral College|electoral college]]. Candidates for elector did not always advertise a party preference or even for whom they intended to vote; in some districts, candidates from the same party were in direct competition, while in others, inconsistent support for all candidates of a party led states to split their electoral votes. These conditions make it difficult or impossible to determine voter intent in some cases. Moreover, some states' returns have not survived to the present day, meaning that national popular vote totals in this article are necessarily incomplete.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lampi |first1=Philip |title=Electoral College |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/?f%5Boffice_id_ssim%5D%5B%5D=ON056&per_page=100&range%5Bpub_date_facet_isim%5D%5Bbegin%5D=1796&range%5Bpub_date_facet_isim%5D%5Bend%5D=1796&search_field=dummy_range |website=A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 |publisher=Tufts University |access-date=July 21, 2022}}</ref>

The table below calculates each state's popular vote by comparing the vote for the most popular Adams elector to that for the most popular Jefferson elector.

In Massachusetts, the best performing elector candidates for the First Western and Second Middle Districts, [[Simon Larned]] and [[James Winthrop]] respectively, were not selected by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] to be electors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A New Nation Votes |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/wm117q33g |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=elections.lib.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A New Nation Votes |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/x059c8741 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=elections.lib.tufts.edu}}</ref> Larned was a Democratic-Republican<ref>{{Cite web |title=LARNED, Simon 1753 – 1817 |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/L000097 |website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress}}</ref> and Winthrop was a former Anti-Federalist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-Federalist Papers: Letters of Agrippa, I-XI |url=https://www.constitution.org/1-Constitution/afp/agrippa.htm |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=www.constitution.org}}</ref>

The totals for Massachusetts and Virginia appear to be incomplete. In several states candidates of unknown affiliation received votes.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
!colspan=2|
!colspan=3| John Adams<br />Federalist
!colspan=3| Thomas Jefferson<br />Democratic-Republican
!colspan=2| Margin
! State total
|-
! State
!style="font-size: 60%"| Electoral<br />votes
! #
! %
!style="font-size: 60%"| Electoral<br />votes
! #
! %
!style="font-size: 60%"| Electoral<br />votes
! #
! %
! #
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Connecticut|Connecticut]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 9
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 9
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Delaware|Delaware]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 3
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 3
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Georgia|Georgia]]
! 4
| 2,644
| 29.9
| —
| 6,200
| 70.1
| 4
| -3556
| -40.2
| 8,844
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Kentucky|Kentucky]]
! 4
|colspan=2 align=center| ''no data''
| —
|colspan=2 align=center| ''no data''
| 4
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Maryland|Maryland]]
! 10{{efn|name=maryland|Ten electors were chosen from Maryland in 1796, with two votes apiece. Six voted for John Adams and some other Federalist; three voted for Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr; the final elector voted for Adams ''and'' Jefferson, both. This brings the sum of Adams' and Jefferson's electoral votes from Maryland to eleven, one greater than the number of electors chosen from that state.}}
| 7,029
| 52.0
| 7
| 6,490
| 48.0
| 4
| 539
| 4.0
| 13,519
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]
! 16
| 7,848
| 82.4
| 16
| 1,671
| 17.6
| —
| 6,177
| 64.8
| 9,519
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]
! 6
| 3,719
| 84.5
| 6
| 681
| 15.5
| —
| 3,038
| 69.0
| 4,400
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New Jersey|New Jersey]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 7
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 7
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in New York|New York]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 12
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 12
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in North Carolina|North Carolina]]
! 12
|colspan=2 align=center| ''no data''
| 1
|colspan=2 align=center| ''no data''
| 11
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]
! 15
| 12,217
| 49.8
| 1
| 12,306
| 50.2
| 14
| -89
| -0.4
| 24,523
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 4
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 4
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Independent (US)}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in South Carolina|South Carolina]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 8
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 8
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Tennessee|Tennessee]]
! 3
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 3
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Vermont|Vermont]]{{efn|name=legislature}}
! 4
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| 4
|colspan=2| ''no popular vote''
| —
|colspan=2| —
| —
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
! [[1796 United States presidential election in Virginia|Virginia]]
! 21
| 1,717
| 32.8
| 1
| 3,512
| 67.2
| 20
| -1,795
| -34.4
| 5,229
|-
! TOTALS
! 138
! 35,174
! 53.3
! 71
! 30,860
! 46.7
! 68
! 4,314
! 6.6
! 66,034
|-
! TO WIN
! 70
!colspan=9|
|}
'''Sources:''' ''A New Nation Votes'';<ref>{{Cite web |title=A New Nation Votes |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/?f%5Boffice_id_ssim%5D%5B%5D=ON056&range%5Bpub_date_facet_isim%5D%5Bbegin%5D=1796&range%5Bpub_date_facet_isim%5D%5Bend%5D=1796 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=elections.lib.tufts.edu}}</ref> Dubin, p.&nbsp;6-8.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dubin |first1=Michael J. |title=United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: The Official Results by County and State |date=2002 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=0-7864-1017-5 |page=xii}}</ref>

=== Maps ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:1796 Presidential County Results.svg|Map of presidential election results by county, shaded according to the vote share of the highest result for an elector of any given party
File:1796 United States presidential election by electoral district.svg|Map of presidential election results by electoral district, shaded according to the vote share of the highest result for an elector of any given party. Electoral boundaries and data for Kentucky, Massachusetts, and North Carolina could not be found
</gallery>

=== Close states ===

States where the margin of victory was under 1% (15 electoral votes):
# '''<span style="color:#008000;">Pennsylvania, 0.4% (89 votes)</span>'''

States where the margin of victory was under 5% (11 electoral votes):
# '''<span style="color:#EA9978;">Maryland, 4.0% (539 votes)</span>'''

==Consequences==
The following four years were the only time that the president and vice president were from different parties. [[John Quincy Adams]] and [[John C. Calhoun]] were later elected president and vice-president as political opponents, but they were both Democratic-Republicans, and while [[Andrew Johnson]], [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s second vice-president, was a Democrat, Lincoln ran on a combined [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]] ticket in 1864, not as a strict Republican.

On January 6, 1797, Representative [[William Loughton Smith|William L. Smith]] of South Carolina presented a resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives for an amendment to the Constitution by which the presidential electors would designate which candidate would be president and which vice president.<ref>{{cite book | author=United States Congress | others=4th Congress, 2nd Session | title=Annals of Congress | url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=006/llac006.db&recNum=154 | access-date=June 26, 2006 | year=1797 | page=1824}}</ref> No action was taken on his proposal, setting the stage for the deadlocked [[1800 United States presidential election|election of 1800]].

This is also the first of only two elections so far in the life of the Republic which elected a presidential term of only 1,460 days rather than 1,461 days (the second was in 1896). This is because of the [[Gregorian calendar]] rule that years ending in “00” but not divisible by 400, are not [[leap year]]s.<ref>{{citation |date=2020 |title=Astronomical almanac online glossary |publisher=US Naval Observatory |url=https://asa.hmnao.com/SecM/Glossary.html#_Y |access-date=28 January 2022 |archive-date=23 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223151156/http://asa.hmnao.com/SecM/Glossary.html#_Y |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Foreign influence==
The French foreign minister, [[Charles Delacroix]], wrote that France "must raise up the [American] people and at the same time conceal the lever by which we do so... I propose... to send orders and instructions to our minister plenipotentiary at Philadelphia to use all means in his power to bring about a successful revolution, and [George] Washington's replacement."<ref>Mallock, Daniel.  ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dzCCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT140 Agony and Eloquence: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and a World of Revolution]'', p. 140 ([[Simon and Schuster]], 2016).</ref>  The French minister (ambassador) to the United States, [[Pierre Adet]], openly supported the [[Democratic-Republican Party]] and its presidential nominee, [[Thomas Jefferson]], while attacking the [[Federalist Party]] and its presidential nominee, [[John Adams]].<ref name=Dawson>Dawson, Matthew. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kniI6MQ1gkIC&pg=PA38 Partisanship and the Birth of America's Second Party, 1796–1800: Stop the Wheels of Government]'', pp. 38–39 ([[Greenwood Publishing Group]], 2000).</ref>

The foreign intrigue France perpetrated was unsuccessful, as Adams won the election with an electoral vote count of 71–68. A significant factor in thwarting the French efforts was [[George Washington's Farewell Address]], which condemned foreign meddling in America.<ref name=Dawson />

==Electoral college selection==
{{main|List of 1796 United States presidential electors}}

The Constitution, in [[Article Two of the United States Constitution#Section 1, Clause 2|Article II, Section 1]], provided that the state legislatures should decide the manner in which their Electors were chosen. Different state legislatures chose different methods:<ref>{{cite web | title=The Electoral Count for the Presidential Election of 1789 | work=The Papers of George Washington | url=http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/presidential/electoral.html | access-date=May 4, 2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914141726/http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/presidential/electoral.html | archive-date=September 14, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

{{start electoral college selection}}
{{electoral college selection row | method=Each Elector appointed by the state legislature | states=[[Connecticut]]<br />[[Delaware]]<br />[[New Jersey]]<br />[[New York (state)|New York]]<br />[[Rhode Island]]<br />[[South Carolina]]<br />[[Vermont]]}}
{{electoral college selection row | method=State is divided into electoral districts, with one Elector chosen per district by the voters of that district | states=[[Kentucky]]<br />[[Maryland]]<br />[[North Carolina]]<br />[[Virginia]]}}
{{electoral college selection row | method=Each Elector chosen by voters statewide | states=[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<br />[[Pennsylvania]]}}
{{electoral college selection row | method={{unordered list|Two Electors appointed by the state legislature|Each remaining Elector chosen by the state legislature from list of top two vote-getters in each congressional district}}  | states=[[Massachusetts]]}}
{{electoral college selection row | method=Each Elector chosen by voters statewide; however, if no candidate wins majority, the state legislature appoints Elector from top two candidates | states=[[New Hampshire]]}}
{{electoral college selection row | method=Divided the state into three electoral districts and named three persons from each county in each district to elect an elector for each of the three districts<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee 1796 Presidential Election, Note. 4 |url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/kh04dr012 |website=A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> | states=[[Tennessee]]}}
{{end electoral college selection}}

==See also==
*[[Inauguration of John Adams]]
*[[Bibliography of Thomas Jefferson]]
*[[History of the United States (1789–1849)]]
*[[First Party System]]
*[[1796–97 United States House of Representatives elections]]
*[[1796–97 United States Senate elections]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
'''Web references'''
* {{cite web | title=A Historical Analysis of the Electoral College | work=The Green Papers | url=https://www.thegreenpapers.com/Hx/ElectoralCollege.html | access-date=March 20, 2005}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725105911/http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas/ A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825]

==Primary sources==
* Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. ed. ''The Making of the American Party System 1789 to 1809'' (1965), short excerpts from primary sources
* Cunningham, Noble E., Jr., ed. ''Circular Letters of Congressmen to Their Constituents 1789-1829'' (1978), 3 vol; political reports sent by Congressmen to local newspapers

==Further reading==
* ''Encyclopedia of the New American Nation, 1754–1829'' ed. by [[Paul Finkelman]] (2005), 1600 pp.
* {{cite book | year=1988 | title=The North Carolina Electoral Vote: The People and the Process Behind the Vote | publisher=North Carolina Secretary of State | location=[[Raleigh, North Carolina]]}}
* [[Lance Banning|Banning, Lance]]. ''The Jeffersonian Persuasion: Evolution of a Party Ideology'' (1978)
* Chambers, William Nisbet, ed. ''The First Party System'' (1972)
* Chambers, William Nisbet. ''Political Parties in a New Nation: The American Experience, 1776–1809'' (1963)
* Charles, Joseph. ''The Origins of the American Party System'' (1956), reprints articles in ''William and Mary Quarterly''
* Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. ''Jeffersonian Republicans: The Formation of Party Organization: 1789–1801'' (1957)
* Cunningham, Noble E., Jr., "John Beckley: An Early American Party Manager," ''William and Mary Quarterly'', 13 (Jan. 1956), 40–52, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1923388 in JSTOR]
* Dawson, Matthew Q. ''Partisanship and the Birth of America's Second Party, 1796-1800: Stop the Wheels of Government.'' [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=22900345 Greenwood, (2000) online version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606172926/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=22900345 |date=June 6, 2009 }}
* [[Alexander DeConde|DeConde, Alexander]]. "Washington's Farewell, the French Alliance, and the Election of 1796," ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review,'' Vol. 43, No. 4 (Mar. 1957), pp.&nbsp;641–658 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1902277 in JSTOR]
* Dinkin, Robert J. ''Campaigning in America: A History of Election Practices.'' [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14291969 (Greenwood 1989) online version]
* [[Stanley Elkins|Elkins, Stanley]] and [[Eric McKitrick]]. ''The Age of Federalism'' [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59152800 (1995) online version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505015101/https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59152800 |date=May 5, 2012 }}, the standard highly detailed political history of 1790s
* Freeman, Joanne. "The Presidential Election of 1796," in Richard Alan Ryerson, ed. ''John Adams and the Founding of the Republic'' (2001).
* [[John Chester Miller|Miller, John C.]] ''The Federalist Era: 1789-1801'' (1960).
* Pasley, Jeffrey L. ''The First Presidential Contest: 1796 and the Founding of American Democracy.'' Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2013.
* [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.|Schlesinger, Arthur Meier]], ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–1984 (Vol 1)'' (1986), essay and primary sources on 1796
* [[Gordon S. Wood|Wood, Gordon S.]] ''Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815'' (2009)

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/elections/election1796.html Presidential Election of 1796: A Resource Guide] from the Library of Congress
* [http://www.countingthevotes.com/1796/ Election of 1796 in Counting the Votes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113204547/http://www.countingthevotes.com/1796/ |date=January 13, 2015 }}

{{John Adams}}
{{Thomas Jefferson}}
{{Samuel Adams}}
{{USPresidentialElections}}
{{1796 United States presidential election}}
{{South Carolina elections}}
{{State results of the 1796 U.S. presidential election}}
{{Federalist Party}}
{{Democratic-Republican Party}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1796 United States presidential election| ]]
[[Category:Presidency of John Adams]]
[[Category:John Adams]]
[[Category:Thomas Jefferson]]
[[Category:Samuel Adams]]
[[Category:Aaron Burr]]
[[Category:George Clinton]]
[[Category:John Jay]]
[[Category:George Washington]]