Navigator
U.S. Presidential Election: 1796
November 4 – December 7, 1796
276 electoral votes of the Electoral College
138 votes possible for each candidate
70 electoral votes needed to become President
Winners:
John Adams, Incumbent Vice President
Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State
Adams was elected president with 71 electoral votes, one more than was needed for a majority.
Jefferson received 68 electoral votes and was elected vice president.
Each elector was to vote for two persons, but was not able to indicate which vote was for president and which was for vice
president. Instead, the recipient of the most electoral votes would become president and the runner-up vice president.
The Constitution, in 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.
John Adams, Vice President
Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State
Thomas Pinckney, Former Governor of South Carolina
Oliver Ellsworth, U.S. Chief Justice from Connecticut
John Jay, Governor of New York
James Iredell, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,from North Carolina
Samuel Johnston, Former U.S. Senator from North Carolina
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, U.S. Minister to France from South Carolina
Aaron Burr, U.S. Senator from New York
Samuel Adams, Governor of Massachusetts
George Clinton, Former Governor of New York
Electoral Vote Count
276 electoral votes of the Electoral College
138 votes possible for each candidate
70 electoral votes needed to become President
John Adams 71
Thomas Jefferson 68
Thomas Pinckney 59
Aaron Burr — — 30
Samuel Adams — — 15
Oliver Ellsworth — — 11
George Clinton — — 7
John Jay — — 5
James Iredell — — 3
George Washington — — 2
John Henry — — 2
Samuel Johnston — — 2
Charles Cotesworth
Pinckney — — 1
Vote Count = 276
Popular Vote = 126 = 45 percent
Non-popular Vote = 150 = 55 percent
Connecticut - Legislative selection - 9
Delaware - Legislative selection - 3
New Jersey - Legislative selection - 7
New York - Legislative selection - 12
Rhode Island - Legislative selection - 4
South Carolina - Legislative selection - 8
Vermont - Legislative selection - 4
Kentucky - Popular Vote by District - 4
Maryland - Popular Vote by District - 7
North Carolina - Popular Vote by District - 12
Virginia - Popular Vote by District - 21
Georgia - Popular Vote overall - 4
Pennsylvania - Popular Vote overall - 15
Massachusetts - Hybrid system - 16
New Hampshire - Hybrid system - 6
Tennessee - Hybrid system - 3
change: Georgia - Legislative selection to Popular Vote overall
change: Maryland - Popular Vote overall to Popular Vote by District
change: North Carolina - Legislative Selection to Popular Vote by District
added: Tennessee - Hybrid system
