Voting in the 1800 United States Presidential Election

Background. The 1800 election was a rematch of the 1796 contest, but unlike 1796 both parties formally nominated tickets. The Democratic-Republicans fielded Vice President Thomas Jefferson against the Federalist incumbent, President John Adams, whose running mate was Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina. Alexander Hamilton had come to prefer Pinckney, viewing Adams as too independent.

How the Voting Worked. Because each state could choose its own day to elect its electors, voting lasted from October 31 to December 3, 1800. Electors met in their respective states and voted by ballot for two persons, at least one of whom could not be an inhabitant of the elector's own state, in accordance with the Constitution. Of the 16 states participating, six used some kind of popular vote.

Campaigning in a New Political Era. The election ushered in a two-party republic with acrimonious campaigning conducted behind the scenes and through the press. Aaron Burr, Jefferson's running mate and campaign manager, employed contemporarily unorthodox public campaigning methods that some historians credit with inventing the modern electioneering process.